'hM 


Rev.  E  P.  RAMSAY.  Ph.D. 


BS123S 


AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 


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Ml 

AN    INTERPRETA 
OF    GENESIS 


Including  a  Translation 
INTO  Present-day  English 


BY 

REV.  F.  P.  RAMSAY,  Ph.D. 

Pastor  Third  Presbyterian   Church, 
Omaha,  Nebraska 


JAN  5    rii39  ^ 


NEW  YORK  AND  WASHINGTON 

THE  NEALE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1911 


SV! 


Copyright,  1911,  by 
THE  NEALE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


To  My   Wife 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 

Preface 9 

Introduction 13 

Chapter   I — the  text  of  genesis 19 

The  Autograph   and   Its   Transmission 19 

Reliability  of  Translations 24 

Chapter  II — the  origin   of  genesis      .......  27 

Criticism  and  Critical  Method 2y 

The  Anti-Mosaic  Theory  of  the  Origin  of  the  Penta- 
teuch       30 

The  Theory  of  the  Mosaic  Authorship  of  the  Pentateuch  40 

The  Origin  of  Genesis 46 

Conclusions 48 

Chapter  III — the  literary  form  and  structure  of  genesis  50 

Form   and   Method  of   Composition 50 

The   Compiler's    Sections 53 

Translation  and  Notes 57 

Preface  to  the  Translation 59 

Section  i  (i. 1-2.8),  The  Seven  Days d}. 

Notes  to  Section  i ,      .  06 

Section  2  (2.4-4.26),  "The  Descendants  of  the  Heavens 

and  the  Earth  " "j^ 

Notes  to  Section  2 79 

Section  3    (5.1-6.8),   "The  Descendants   of  Adam"     .  90 

Notes  to  Section  3 92 

Section  4    (6.9-9.29),  "  The  Descendants  of  Noah"     .  97 

Notes  to  Section  4 103 

Section  5  (10.1-11.9),  "The  Descendants  of  the  Sons  of 

Noah" 108 

Notes  to  Section  5 no 

Section  6   (11.10-11.26),  "The  Descendants  of  Sheni "  112 

Notes  to  Section  6 113 

The    Names    of    God 114 

Section  7   (11. 27-25. 11),  "The  Descendants  of  Terah  "  117 

Notes  to  Section  7 I49 

7 


8  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Section  8  (25.12-25.18),  "The  Descendants  of  Ishmael "  161 

Notes  to  Section  8 161 

Section  9    (25.19-35.39),  "The  Descendants  of  Isaac*'  163 

Notes  to  Section  9 194 

Section  10  (36.1-36.8),  "The  Descendants  of  Esau"     .  201 

Notes    to    Section    10 201 

Section   11    (36.9-37-1),  "The  Descendants  of  Esau  in 

Mount   Seir" 203 

Notes  to  Section  11 205 

Section  12   (37.2-50.26),  "The  Descendants  of  Jacob"  207 

Notes  to  Section  12 247 

Chapter   IV — the  facts  of   genesis 257 

Geography 2':^] 

Chronology 261 

Wealth 270 

Culture 271 

Society 272 

Religion 2^^ 

Biography 277 

Chapter  V — the  teachings  of  genesis 287 

Revelation 287 

God 290 

Man 294 

Covenant 298 

Worship 305 

Fellowship 308 

Future  Life 309 

Chapter    VI — progress    of    doctrine 312 

The  Main  Heads 312 

The  Silences 318 

Conclusions 319 

Chapter  VII — the  value  of  genesis 320 

Relation  to  Later  Revelation 320 

Method  of  Teaching 322 

Modern    Pertinence    of    Particular    Doctrines     .      .      .  z^z 

Appendix — difficuties   and  objections Z^ 

Historical 328 

Scientific 331 

Philosophical  and  Theological 335 

Index  of  Biblical  Passages     .     .           337 

Index  of  Topics 343 


PREFACE 

Three  convictions  lie  back  of  this  effort  to  inter- 
pret Genesis.  The  first  is  the  conviction  that  there 
is  a  science  of  interpretation.  It  is  not  meant  that 
this  science  is  as  well  understood  and  formulated  as 
the  sciences  of  astronomy  and  geology,  or  that  any 
two  men  obeying  the  principles  of  the  science  will  see 
the  same  meanings  in  a  piece  of  literature,  as  no  two 
astronomers  or  geologists  see  altogether  the  same 
phenomena  in  the  heavens  or  in  the  earth;  nor  is  it 
meant  that,  this  science  being  once  understood  and 
applied  to  the  Scriptures,  there  would  then  remain 
nothing  new  for  future  students  to  discover,  as  there  is 
now  no  thought  that  there  remains  nothing  new  for 
future  astronomers  and  geologists  to  discover. 
Rather  it  is  meant  that  students  using  the  correct 
methods  of  such  a  science  would  all  come  to  agree- 
ment in  the  main  interpretations,  and  would  move  on 
with  scientific  precision  and  certainty  to  new  apprecia- 
tions. 

The  second  conviction  is  that  the  Scriptures  do  bring 
us  in  an  intelligible  literature  an  intelligible  revelation 
from  God.  In  all  nature  and  in  other  literatures  we 
may  learn  much  that  God  intended  for  us  to  learn 
therefrom;  but  in  the  Scriptures  God  speaks,  so  that 
we  can  hear  him  and  understand  him. 

The  third  conviction  is  that  I  am  appointed  to  help 
a  little  toward  establishing  this  science  of  interpreta- 
tion, and  in  applying  it  to  the  interpretation  of  the 


10  PREFACE 

Scriptures.  Many  have  already  wrought,  and  many 
are  now  at  work,  in  this  direction,  and  much  has  been 
accomplished  and  is  being  accomplished.  I  claim  only 
a  place  among  the  workers,  seeking  to  serve. 

To  Genesis  my  mind  has  been  directed  by  certain 
particular  circumstances,  and  by  the  perception  that 
the  interpretation  of  Genesis  lies  at  the  basis  of  the 
interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  generally,  as  well  as 
by  the  just  now  existing  demand  for  a  new  study  of 
Genesis.  Can  Genesis  be  understood  as  a  literary 
unit?  If  taken  as  a  literary  unit,  and  scientifically 
interpreted,  does  it  show  itself  to  be  a  credible  record, 
and  does  it  come  to  the  open  mind  with  a  teaching  of 
divine  truth  and  authority?  Or  has  it  been  settled 
that  Genesis  is  a  compilation  of  largely  inconsistent 
and  untrustworthy  documents,  and  still  contains  not 
only  legendary  and  mythical  elements,  but  also  ele- 
ments that  were  originally  intended  to  deceive  ?  These 
are  urgent  questions,  and  their  urgency  justifies  a  fresh 
attempt  to  understand  and  interpret  the  book  by  one 
who  believes  in  its  full  historicity,  and  therefore  in  its 
divine  authority. 

The  author  submits  his  work  to  the  candid  examina- 
tion and  criticism  of  scholars  of  all  schools  of  belief, 
as  well  as  to  the  practical  use  of  ministers  and  other 
teachers  and  students  of  the  Bible.  He  will  endeavor 
by  their  friendly  criticisms  and  counsels  to  do  better 
work  in  future,  and  especially  by  any  complaint  that 
may  reach  him  from  such  as  desire  help  in  the  study  of 
Scripture. 

Holding  his  mind  open,  or  endeavoring  so  to  do, 
that  new  light  may  come  in  from  any  source,  he  would 
be  false  to  his  own  profoundest  convictions  if  he  did 


PREFACE  II 

not  gratefully  acknowledge  the  revealing  and  appeal- 
ing power  of  Genesis  ever  growing  upon  him  as  he 
pursued  his  study.  May  the  same  power  affect  his 
readers  also. 

I  cannot  close  without  acknowledging  my  large  in- 
debtedness to  my  son,  Robert  L.  Ramsay,  Ph.  D.,  who 
has  aided  me  otherwise,  and  especially  in  putting  the 
translation  into  present-day  English.  If  that  shall 
commend  itself  as  measurably  successful  in  turning  the 
original  into  appropriate  and  idiomatic  English  of  the 
twentieth  century,  the  credit  belongs  so  largely  to  his 
patience,  taste,  and  English  scholarship  that  I  know  not 
what  to  claim  for  myself.  But  I  am  the  responsible 
author  of  the  translation,  and  he  is  not  to  be  blamed 
for  any- of  its  defects  or  infelicities. 

F.  P.  R. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  basal  issue  concerning  the  Bible  is  whether  its 
statements  of  fact  are  true.     For  the  historicity  of  the 
Bible,  once  established,  carries  with  it  everything  else. 
Whoever  accepts  the  Bible's  statements  of  fact  will  of 
necessity  accept  its  miracles,  its  authority  as  a  revela- 
tion, and  the  truth  of  its  religion.     The  opponents  of 
Christianity,   unless   they  utterly   overthrow  the  his- 
toricity of  the  Bible,  are  already  defeated.     On  the 
other  hand,  although  Christianity  may  well  be  accepted 
as  substantially  true,  even  if  the  Biblical  records  fail 
of  full  historicity,  it  will  have  for  its  historical  basis 
only  such  facts  as  can  be  sifted  from  their  mistakes 
and  misrepresentations.     Before  all  our  other  answers 
about  Christianity,  then,  must  come  our  answer  to  this 
controlling  question :     Has  the  Bible  full  historicity— 
the  position  of  the  orthodox  Christian;  or  partial  his- 
toricity— the  position  of  those  who  hold  to  a  Chris- 
tianity more  or  less  modified ;  or  no  historicity  in  its 
distinctive    facts — the    position    of   those    who    deny 
Christianity? 

This  issue  concerning  historicity  finds  a  decisive 
battlefield  in  Genesis.  If  even  the  first  part  of  Genesis 
is  truly  historical,  with  its  account  of  the  making  of 
all  things,  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  of  the  flood,  and  of 
the  dispersion  from  Babel,  no  one  who  comes  to  see 
and  believe  so  will  have  any  serious  difficulty  with 
other  Bible  narratives;  but  if  these  first  narratives  are 
myth  and  legend,  if  they  are  untrustworthy  records, 
one  who  has  come  to  see  and  believe  so  will  be  pre- 

13 


14  INTRODUCTION 

pared  to  find  some  degree  of  this  unreliability  in  all 
later  Bible  narratives.  Here,  then,  in  the  earlier 
Genesis  narratives  must  the  advocates  of  historicity 
make  good,  and  here  the  opponents  of  historicity  have 
the  best  chance  for  their  fight  against  it. 

But  it  would  not  be  a  wise  method  to  take  up  these 
earlier  narratives  alone,  and  still  less  to  take  up  any 
one  of  them  by  itself,  and  endeavor  to  determine  their 
or  its  credibility  apart  from  the  credibility  of  the  book 
as  a  whole.  How  to  understand  these  earlier  state- 
ments is  a  question  that  cannot  well  be  answered  except 
in  the  light  and  atmosphere  of  the  whole  book.  To 
determine  the  crucial  question  of  the  historical  trust- 
worthiness of  Genesis,  or  of  any  part  of  it,  we  must 
first  be  certain  that  we  understand  the  book  whose  his- 
torical trustworthiness  we  are  attempting  to  judge; 
and  to  this  end  we  need  to  study  the  book  until  we 
understand  every  part  in  connection  with  the  whole 
and  the  whole  in  connection  with  every  part.  It  is 
to  such  study  of  Genesis,  rather  than  to  studies  more 
or  less  pertaining  to  Genesis,  that  the  reader  is  in- 
vited to  proceed. 

In  the  study  of  any  book  of  the  Bible,  there  are 
seven  steps : 

I.  It  is  necessary  first  to  get  the  book,  that  is,  to 
find  out  the  correct  text  of  it.  The  first  copy  of  the 
book,  the  autograph,  perished  centuries  ago ;  but  be- 
fore it  perished  copies  of  it  were  made,  and  copies  of 
copies  have  been  made  down  to  the  invention  of  print- 
ing. Some  of  these  written  copies  or  manuscripts 
exist  to  our  time,  and  are  preserved  in  libraries  and 
elsewhere.  But  these  copies  dififer  from  one  another. 
When  the  manuscripts  at  the  same  place  read  differ- 


INTRODUCTION  15 

ently,  each  of  the  readings  is  called  a  variant  reading. 
Only  one  of  the  variant  readings  can  be  the  reading 
that  was  in  the  autograph ;  and  it  is  even  possible,  in 
some  cases,  that  the  autographic  reading  has  not  been 
preserved  at  all, — that  is,  that  no  variant  reading  is 
correct.  And  where  there  is  no  variant  reading,  but 
only  one  reading  in  all  the  manuscripts,  it  is  even  pos- 
sible that  this  reading  itself  is  not  the  autographic 
reading.  But  if  we  would  understand  a  book,  we 
wish  as  nearly  as  possible  to  get  its  autographic  text. 

We  may  not,  however,  know  the  language  in  which 
an  ancient  book  was  written :  many  who  would  study 
the  Bible  do  not  know  the  Greek  in  which  the  New 
Testament  books  were  written,  or  the  Hebrew  in  which 
the  Old  Testament  books  were  written.  In  such  case 
we  must  study  the  ancient  book  in  a  translation.  It 
is  important,  then,  that  our  translation  be  made  from 
a  correct  text  of  the  original,  and  that  it  be  a  correct 
rendering  of  that  text,  expressing  in  our  own  language 
what  w^as  expressed  in  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek. 
If  the  translation  that  wq  make  use  of  was  made  from 
a  corrupt  text,  the  errors  in  that  Hebrew  or  Greek  text 
wall  pass  over  into  our  English  version.  Or  if  the 
translation  does  not  correctly  render  the  original  text, 
then  we  are  liable  to  take  an  error  by  the  translators 
for  a  word  of  inspired  men. 

We  must,  then,  seek  to  get  as  accurate  a  text  and 
as  adequate  a  translation  as  possible. 

II.  After  we  get  a  book  in  its  correct  text,  we  should 
next  learn  all  we  can  about  its  origin — that  is,  its 
author,  the  time,  place,  and  occasion  of  its  writing, 
etc.  For  the  same  words  will  often  have  one  meaning 
if  taken  as  coming  from  one  source  and  another  mean- 


i6  INTRODUCTION 

ing  if  taken  as  coming  from  another  source;  and  the 
reHability  of  a  writing,  especially  of  a  history,  is 
largely  a  question  of  its  origin.  Since,  however,  it  is 
impossible  to  consider  the  origin  of  Genesis  apart  from 
the  origin  of  the  Pentateuch  as  a  whole,  we  must  make 
an  examination  of  the  two  rival  theories  of  the  origin 
of  the  Pentateuch,  and  thereby  determine  the  origin 
of  our  Genesis. 

III.  Having  got  the  text  of  the  book,  and  deter- 
mined its  origin,  we  shall  be  prepared  to  study  the  book 
itself.  Here  we  shall  begin  with  its  literary  form  and 
structure.  Is  it  a  historical  narrative  or  a  poem?  a 
code  of  laws  or  an  oration?  Is  it  a  literary  unit  or  a 
patchwork?  and  into  what  divisions  and  subdivisions 
does  the  work  lay  itself  out  under  analysis?  These 
questions,  if  the  book  is  a  unit,  are  inseparable  from 
the  question.  What  is  its  theme  ? 

IV.  After  fixing  the  text,  the  origin,  and  the  literary 
form,  we  may  next  go  down  into  the  book  to  see  what 
it  says — discover  and  organize  its  contents.  Since 
Genesis  is  mainly  narrative,  this  chapter  will  endeavor 
to  present  a  classified  summary  of  its  facts. 

V.  While  the  organization  of  the  facts  of  the  book 
is  itself  a  preliminary  interpretation,  yet  only  after  we 
have  thus  mastered  the  content  are  we  ready  to  do  the 
more  serious  work  of  interpretation  and  determine  the 
teachings. 

VI.  There  is  a  profound  sense  in  which  all  the  books 
of  the  Bible  constitute  one  book.  Hence  to  complete 
our  study  of  a  book  we  should  place  it  in  the  organ- 
ism of  Scripture,  seeing  how  it  grows  out  of  what 
precedes  and  contains  the  germs  of  what  follows.  We 
shall  therefore  devote  some  attention  to  the  relation 


INTRODUCTION  17 

of  Genesis  to  the  rest  of  Scripture.  But  if  Genesis 
itself  grew  up  through  successive  ages,  if  its  succes- 
sive accounts  arose  at  many  different  times  and  in 
close  connection  with  the  events,  then  there  must  be 
this  growth  of  doctrine  in  the  successive  narratives. 
Hence  our  attention,  in  Chapter  VI,  must  be  occupied 
more  largely  with  the  progress  of  doctrine  in  Genesis 
itself. 

VII.  After  we  have  fixed  the  text  and  the  origin  of 
a  book,  have  then  analyzed  its  form  and  organized  its 
content,  and  have  with  these  lights  understood  its 
teachings  and  placed  the  book  in  the  growing  organism 
of  Scripture,  it  remains  to  add  a  seventh  step  to  these 
six — to  apply  its  teachings  to  our  own  times  and  to 
ourselves.  But  always  application  should  follow  in- 
terpretation. 

So  many  particular  objections  are  made  and  so  many 
peculiar  difficulties  to  honest  minds  arise  in  connection 
with  Genesis,  that  to  them  we  must  give  special  con- 
sideration ;  but  such  consideration  must  be  postponed 
till  the  end,  for  we  are  never  qualified  to  deal  with  the 
difficulties  in  a  book  till  we  first  get  well  acquainted 
with  the  book  as  a  whole.  The  discussion  of  these 
matters  has  accordingly  been  reserved  for  an  appendix. 

As  a  further  help  to  the  understanding  of  Genesis, 
there  has  been  added  to  the  interpretation  a  translation, 
with  notes  appended  to  each  section.  The  effort  has 
been  to  make  the  translation  present  the  meaning  and 
spirit  of  the  original  so  faithfully  as  to  escape  the 
necessity  of  much  detailed  explanation.  For  the  con- 
venience of  the  reader  the  translation  and  notes  are 
inserted  between  Chapters  III  and  IV. 


An  Interpretation  of  Genesis 


CHAPTER    I 

THE  TEXT  OF  GENESIS 

Not  one  sentence,  and  not  even  one  word,  written 
by  the  hand  of  any  Bibhcal  author  is  known  to  be  in 
existence  to-day.  Every  scrap  of  the  autographs,  as 
these  first  writings  are  called,  perished  centuries  ago. 
If  Genesis  was  composed  as  early  as  Moses,  it  may 
be  three  thousand  years  since  the  autograph,  or  any 
fragment  of  it,  was  last  seen.  Yet  in  the  study  of  any 
book  the  first  thing  is  to  get  the  autograph, — the  book 
itself, — or  at  least  a  correct  copy  of  it.  But  if  the 
autograph  has  perished,  and  existing  copies  of  it  differ 
so  much  from  one  another  that  there  is  no  reason  to 
believe  that  any  one  of  them  is  an  exact  copy  of  the 
autograph,  how  are  we  to  determine  what  was  written 
in  the  autograph?  Such  is  the  case  with  all  books 
of  the  Bible,  and,  since  the  difficulty  of  ascertaining 
the  correct  text  increases  the  further  we  are  removed 
from  the  autograph,  such  is  especially  the  case  with 
Genesis.  How,  then,  are  we  to  determine  the  correct 
text  of  this  the  oldest  book  in  the  Bible?  By  begin- 
ning from  the  first  and  coming  down  we  shall  see  how 
this  ascent  back  from  what  we  now  have  to  that  auto- 
graphic text  is  accomplished. 

The  Autograph  and  Its  Transmission. — The 
earliest  narratives  of  Genesis  were  probably  composed 

19 


20      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

at  first  in  oral  form  and  handed  down  without  writ- 
ing. This  would  be  comparatively  easy  when  men 
lived  long  enough  to  converse  with  their  descendants 
for  a  number  of  generations,  and  while  there  was  yet 
not  much  matter  to  hand  down.  The  earliest  narra- 
tives were  also  at  first  composed  in  language  not 
Hebrew,  in  language  earlier  than  Hebrew,  and,  as 
language  changed,  passed  by  translation  from  the 
earlier  language  into  that  Hebrew  in  which  we  now 
have  them. 

This  oral  transmission,  however,  must  have  given 
place  to  written  transmission  in  or  before  Abraham's 
day;  for  he  was  brought  up  in  a  land  of  books.  In 
his  ancestors  and  descendants  there  would  be  the 
strongest  motives  to  preserve  the  Genesis  narratives, 
and  to  transmit  them  correctly,  for  they  contained  the 
promises  and  covenants  of  Jehovah — on  which  all  their 
hopes  were  based.  Moreover,  there  were  among  the 
Israelites  professional  penmen,  or  scribes,  as  early  as 
Moses;  and  throughout  their  history,  from  that  time 
on,  the  making  of  books  was  a  business  that  flourished 
among  them.  The  scribes  were  among  them  as  the 
printers  are  among  us.  And  the  demand  for  exact 
copies  for  the  priests  and  others  gave  rise  to  a  remark- 
able accuracy  in  the  making  of  written  books. 
Furthermore,  there  arose  an  order  or  guild  of  prophets 
who  became  authors  of  Scripture  and  guardians  of  the 
sacred  writings. 

By  reason  of  this  prophetic  criticism  and  this  scribal 
exactness  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  would  be  ceaselessly 
and  correctly  transmitted  down  to  the  making  of  the 
first  versions  and  on. 

By  a  version  is  meant  a  translation  into  another 


THE   TEXT   OF   GENESIS  21 

language.  Three  classes  of  versions  of  the  Old 
Testament  made  in  ancient  times  concern  us  here — 
Greek,  Semitic,  and  Latin.  The  earliest  and  most  im- 
portant of  the  Greek  versions  is  the  Septuagint, 
This  began  to  be  made  from  the  Hebrew  as  early  as 
300  B.C.,  and  was  finished  as  early  probably  as  200  B.C. 
It  became  extensively  used  by  the  Jews  throughout  the 
Roman  empire,  and  is  frequently  quoted  from  in  the 
New  Testament.  Versions  were  also  made  into 
Semitic  languages  akin  to  the  Hebrew,  such  as 
Samaritan, — into  which  the  Pentateuch  was  translated, 
— Aramaic,  and  Syriac.  The  most  important  of  the 
Semitic  versions  is  the  Syriac,  which  was  made  as 
early  as  200  a.d.  It  was  a  version,  not  only  of  the 
Old  Testament  from  the  Hebrew,  but  also  of  the  New 
Testament  from  the  Greek.  Finally,  of  the  Latin 
versions,  the  most  important  is  the  Vulgate.  Like  the 
Syriac,  it  was  a  version  of  the  New  Testament  as  well 
as  the  Old.  It  was  made  by  Jerome  about  400  a.d. 
It  became  the  Bible  of  Western  Christendom,  and 
still  is  the  Bible  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

But  we  were  inquiring  how  the  Hebrew  text  of 
the  Old  Testament  has  been  handed  down  to  us,  and 
why  stop  to  talk  about  early  versions  of  it  into  other 
languages?  Because  through  these  versions  we  can 
see  what  the  Hebrew  was  from  which  they  were  trans- 
lated. In  addition  to  the  written  copies  of  the 
Hebrew,  which  we  call  Hebrew  MSS., — and  into 
which  we  can  look  and  see  immediately  what  is  the 
Hebrew  text  as  it  appears  in  them, — we  have  these 
ancient  versions,  and  by  translating  them  back  into 
Hebrew  we  can  see  mediately  what  was  the  Hebrew 
text  from  which  they  were  translated. 


22      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

There  is  a  third  means  of  determining  the  Hebrew 
text,  and  that  is  quotations  from  the  Old  Testament 
by  ancient  writers.  When  an  ancient  writer  quoted 
a  w^ord  or  phrase  or  sentence  or  passage,  copying,  into 
his  own  work  the  Hebrew  itself,  the  quotation  is  a 
Hebrew  MS.  as  far  as  it  goes;  and  when  an  ancient 
writer  translated  from  the  Hebrew,  rendering  the 
sense  of  it  into  some  other  language  in  which  he  was 
writing,  the  quotation  is  so  far  a  version  from  the 
Hebrew.  Now  the  Old  Testament  was  quoted  by  the 
Christian  Fathers — Christian  writers  from  say  lOO 
A.D.  to  500  A.D. — more  frequently  than  any  other  writ- 
ing (except  the  New  Testament)  by  ancient  writers. 
In  fact,  a  large  part  of  the  Old  Testament  as  well  as 
the  New  Testament  could  be  restored  from  these 
quotations. 

But  to  understand  our  problem  better,  some  further 
information  about  the  Hebrew  MSS.  must  be  brought 
forward. 

Hebrew  is  written  in  letters  and  points.  The  letters 
stand  mostly  for  consonant  sounds ;  the  points  indicate 
the  vowel  sounds,  the  accent,  and  the  punctuation. 
Some  of  the  Hebrew  MSS.  are  unpointed,  having  only 
the  unpointed  text, — called  also  the  consonant  text, — 
and  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  for  ages  the  Hebrew 
was  written  without  points.  Later,  in  order  to  pre- 
serve the  correct  pronunciation,  the  Hebrew  scholars 
invented  the  pointing  and  added  it  to  the  consonant 
text.  What  they  added  to  the  consonants  was  merely 
a  means  of  transmitting  by  written  signs  that  which 
before  had  been  transmitted  from  mouth  to  mouth. 
The  pointing  thus  added  is  called  the  Massora,  and 
its  inventors  are  called  the  Massoretes ;  and  their  text, 


THE   TEXT    OF    GENESIS  23 

that  is  the  text  as  they  pointed  it  and  left  it,  is  called 
the  Massoretic  text,  the  pointing  being  called  Massore- 
tic  pointing,  and  the  consonants  or  letters  adopted  by 
them  being  called  the  Massoretic  consonants  or  letters. 

This  Massora  was  completed  by  about  600  a.d. 
The  existing  Hebrew  MSS.  that  were  made  before 
the  invention  of  printing  in  the  fifteenth  century  con- 
sist of  one  that  was  written  as  early  as  about  800  a.d.  ; 
another  about  900  a.d.  ;  several  about  1000  a.d.  ;  and 
of  increasing  numbers  as  we  come  farther  down,  there 
being  in  all  about  a  thousand  MSS.  in  the  Hebrew,  if 
we  count  fragments  as  well  as  complete  MSS.  This 
is  a  much  larger  number  than  of  any  other  ancient 
work  except  the  New  Testament. 

It  is  also  true  that  while  these  MSS.  differ  from 
one  another  in  a  few  places, — that  is,  read  differently 
or  have  variant  readings, — yet  these  differences  are 
comparatively  few  and  slight.  This  text,  or  type  of 
text,  common  to  the  Hebrew  MSS.,  being  the  type  of 
text  adopted  by  the  Massoretes,  and  handed  down  by 
them,  is  called  the  Massoretic  text,  or  Massoretic  type 
of  text. 

Now  if  we  adopt  the  view  that  the  latest  Old  Testa- 
ment book  was  written  about  400  B.C.,  then  we  have 
from  the  writing  of  its  autograph  to  the  writing  of 
the  oldest  existing  copy  of  it  a  stretch  of  twelve  hun- 
dred years.  How  can  we  get  across  this  gulf  of 
twelve  centuries  and  know  that  we  have  on  this  side 
the  same  text  that  came  down  to  that  side  ?  Through 
the  quotations  and  the  versions  we  can  look  at  the 
Hebrew  text  as  it  existed  all  along  in  its  transmission 
from  400  B.C.  to  800  A.D.  Comparing  the  text  as  we 
thus  find  it  existing  on  that  side  of  the  gulf,  and  all  the 


24      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

way  across,  with  the  text  as  we  find  it  existing  on  this 
side  in  the  MSS.,  we  see  that  it  is  the  same  text. 
There  are  places  indeed  where  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine whether  to  read  a  word  with  this  spelling  or 
that;  whether  to  read  this  word  or  that;  whether 
something  has  been  added  or  not;  whether  something 
has  been  omitted  or  not :  places  where  we  cannot  now 
tell  certainly  and  exactly  how  to  read  the  text ;  cannot 
now  tell  what  was  at  first  written ;  but  the  number  of 
such  doubtful  passages  is  comparatively  small,  and  the 
readings  in  doubt  are  comparatively  unimportant. 

On  the  whole,  we  know  that  the  autograph  text  has 
been  transmitted  to  us  through  the  centuries  without 
such  addition,  omission,  or  alteration  as  hides  from 
us  the  current  of  thought  and  teaching,  the  general 
sense.  No  book  from  pre-Christian  times  has  been  as 
well  preserved  and  transmitted  as  the  Old  Testament. 

But  we  cannot  be  certain  in  all  cases  that  we  have 
just  the  exact  copy  of  the  autograph.  No  autograph 
is  in  existence ;  not  a  scrap  of  writing  from  any  of 
the  inspired  penmen  has  been  preserved.  We  have 
only  copies  of  copies  at  more  than  a  thousand  years 
remove.  There  are  possible  errors  of  transmission, 
not  hiding  the  teaching  as  a  whole,  or  obscuring  it, 
but  forbidding  us  to  build  on  isolated  words  or  phrases, 
and  requiring  us  to  build  on  the  larger  meaning.  We 
must  go  to  the  teaching  that  runs  through  a  book, 
the  organic  thought  of  a  book,  rather  than  to  what 
might  seem  to  be  the  thought  of  disconnected  frag- 
ments. 

Reliability  of  Translations. — But  what  good 
will  this  almost  faultless  Hebrew  text  of  the  Old  Testa- 


THE   TEXT    OF    GENESIS  25 

ment,  and  therefore  of  Genesis,  do  people  who  cannot 
read  and  understand  Hebrew  ?  My  answer  is  that  the 
more  nearly  correct  the  Hebrew  text  transmitted 
to  our  time,  the  more  nearly  correct  can  be  a  transla- 
tion made  in  our  time. 

To  any  translation  will  pertain  something  of  the 
fallibility  of  man,  as  to  any  transmitted  text;  but  if  the 
English  translation  of  the  Old  Testament  contains 
any  serious  errors,  such  defect  is  in  the  translation 
and  not  in  the  transmitted  text.  Starting  with  the 
autograph  text,  and  proceeding  to  a  transmitted  text 
almost  free  from  error  of  transmission,  we  ought  to 
reach  a  translation  practically  free  from  all  serious 
failure  to  convey  to  us  the  sense  of  the  autograph. 

Hebrew,  moreover,  and  especially  narrative  Hebrew, 
is  capable  of  being  translated  into  English  that  will 
with  approximate  exactness  represent  the  original 
Hebrew  to  the  English  reader.  Hebrew  is  remark- 
ably free  from  involved  structure,  and  is  largely 
photographic  and  concrete  rather  than  analytic  and 
abstract ;  and  in  these  respects  our  Anglo-Saxon  Eng- 
lish is  singularly  Hebraic.  The  large  influence  of  the 
English  Bible  upon  the  English  language  has  further 
developed  the  Hebrew  capabilities  of  our  tongue. 

And  the  version  known  as  King  James'  or  the 
Authorized  Version  is  a  sufficiently  adequate  trans- 
lation of  Genesis.  The  Revised  Version  is  better,  and 
the  American  Revised  Edition  is  better  still.  At  the 
same  time,  reference  to  the  Hebrew  is  not  to  be  neg- 
lected, even  if  we  cannot  read  the  Hebrew  ourselves, 
but  have  to  use  commentaries  or  other  helps.  Among 
the  best  sorts  of  helps  are  accurate  and  interpretative 
translations,  such  as  this  work  endeavors  to  supply. 


26      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

For  myself  I  believe  that  in  Genesis  I  hear  the  true 
accounts  of  the  origins  of  all  things  and  of  the  tribes 
of  Israel ;  that,  to  begin  with,  I  hear,  as  did  the  human 
race  in  its  cradle,  God's  own  story  to  them  of  how  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  and  the  things  therein  and  they 
themselves  all  came  to  be.  Across  all  the  centuries  of 
human  history,  of  human  sin  and  human  suffering,  I 
still  hear  the  first  revelations  and  the  first  gospel. 
Therefore  I  wish  to  stand  very  quietly,  and  to  listen 
very  reverently,  to  the  voice  of  revelation  still  speak- 
ing through  all  these  centuries  to  me. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE  ORIGIN  OF  GENESIS 

Criticism  and  Critical  Method. — At  the  thresh- 
old of  this  inquiry  two  matters  claim  our  attention. 
One  has  to  do  with  criticism  in  general ;  the  other  con- 
cerns the  specific  method  employed  in  the  present 
criticism. 

Some  may  object  to  the  very  word  criticism,  and 
some  even  to  the  thing.  But  criticism  is  simply  the 
sincere  and  thorough  use  of  the  means  and  methods 
of  detecting  error  and  ascertaining  truth.  And  cer- 
tainly, if  He  whom  I  love  and  worship  as  above  all 
others  The  Teacher,  has  taught  me  any  lesson,  it  is  the 
love  of  truth.  It  is  safe  to  seek  for  truth  in  all  things, 
and  finding  it  to  bear  witness  to  it,  even  if  so  doing 
lead  to  crucifixion.  I  have  looked  into  the  face  of 
Jesus,  I  have  felt  his  breath  upon  my  face;  therefore 
I  must  find  the  truth — just  the  truth.  This  is  the 
spirit  of  the  truly  scientific  criticism. 

There  are  three  branches  of  Biblical  criticism. 
That  branch  which  endeavors  to  determine  the  text,  or 
textual  criticism,  is  sometimes  called  lower  criticism. 
In  contrast  with  this  that  branch  of  Biblical  criticism 
which  endeavors  to  determine  the  origin  of  a  writing 
has  been  called  higher  criticism.  When  a  writing  has 
come  down  to  us,  the  lower  criticism  ascends  the  lower 
part  of  the  stream  up  to  the  autograph  text,  and  the 
higher  criticism  ascends  the  higher  part  of  the  stream, 

27 


28      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

above  the  autograph,  to  the  author  himself.  In  the 
preceding  chapter  concerning  the  text  of  Genesis  we 
were  engaged  in  lower  criticism;  in  this  chapter  we 
shall  be  engaged  in  higher  criticism. 

The  term  ''higher  criticism"  has  come  to  suggest 
in  popular  speech,  however,  not  the  science  of  higher 
criticism  properly  so  called,  but  a  theory,  the  theory 
of  those  higher  critics  who  deny  the  historicity  of 
Biblical  statements.  For  this  reason,  and  also  because 
"  higher  criticism  "  is  a  term  that  easily  lends  itself  to 
misconception,  I  prefer  the  term  "genetic  criticism." 
Genetic  means  pertaining  to  origin ;  and  criticism  seek- 
ing to  determine  origin  is  genetic  criticism.  So  for 
the  two  branches  of  Biblical  criticism  already  before 
us  I  use  the  terms  "textual  criticism"  and  "genetic 
criticism,"  reserving  the  term  "  exegetical  criticism" 
for  that  branch  of  Biblical  criticism  which  seeks  to 
determine  the  meaning.  In  exegetical  criticism,  or  in- 
terpretation, we  are  to  be  engaged  in  the  chapters  fol- 
lowing. 

The  method  of  genetic  criticism  employed  in  the 
present  chapter  will  be  the  same  as  that  by  which  we 
must  determine  the  origin  of  any  ancient  writing.  In 
all  such  investigations  there  are  seven  kinds  of  evi- 
dence which  must  be  consulted : 

(a)  First,  it  is  the  task  of  textual  criticism  to  deter- 
mine the  autographic  text.  In  the  effort  to  do  this, 
as  we  have  seen  in  the  preceding  chapter,  textual  criti- 
cism finds  quotations  from  the  book  in  question,  ver- 
sions of  it,  and  manuscripts  of  it.  Now  it  is  obvious 
that  any  book  is  at  least  as  old  as  its  oldest  manu- 
script, as  its  oldest  version,  and  as  the  earliest  quota- 
tions  from  it.     Without  forgetting  the  delicacy  and 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  29 

difficulty  of  the  questions  that  textual  criticism  has  to 
decide  in  these  matters,  we  must  put  the  data  of  textual 
criticism  first  among  the  evidences  concerning  origin. 

(b)  First  to  most  of  us,  however,  among  the  evi- 
dences concerning  the  origin  of  ancient  books  is  opin- 
ion. We  belive  that  Milton  wrote  "  Paradise  Lost," 
and  that  Paul  wrote  Romans ;  but  most  of  us  have  no 
reason  for  so  believing,  except  opinion,  the  opinion  of 
competent  students  of  these  books.  This  is  good 
evidence,  for  how  can  we  account  for  the  fact  of  their 
opinion  except  on  the  ground  that  it  is  well  founded? 

(c)  To  the  data  of  textual  criticism  and  to  opinion 
we  should  always  add  testimony,  when  it  is  available. 
It  is  not  always  easy  to  tell  whether  a  given  piece  of 
evidence  is  testimony  or  opinion ;  but  we  must  remem- 
ber that  only  contemporaries  acquainted  with  the 
facts  can  bear  testimony  as  to  the  author  of  a  writing. 

(d)  These  three  sorts  of  evidence  are  all  external 
evidences,  since  they  lie  outside  the  book  itself,  and 
could  be  known  and  weighed  by  a  man  unacquainted 
with  the  book.  The  internal  evidences  may  likewise 
be  grouped  under  three  heads.  But  lying  between  the 
external  and  the  internal  evidences  is  a  kind  of  evi- 
dence which  is  external,  in  that  a  man  may  know  it 
who  is  unacquainted  with  the  book,  and  internal,  in 
that  it  is  to  be  found  inside  the  book ;  this  is  the  claim 
made  by  the  book  itself  as  to  its  author,  date,  etc. 

(e)  The  first  sort  of  internal  evidence  to  arrest 
attention  is  the  linguistic,  the  evidence  in  the  language. 
If  a  book  is  written  in  a  language  unknown  to  a  given 
author,  or  contains  phrases  or  words  unknown  to 
him,  then  he  is  not  the  author.  So  the  resemblances 
and  differences  of  words,  syntax,  and  style  may  be 


30      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF   GENESIS 

largely  used  to  determine  the  author  and  time  of  a 
writing. 

(/)  Historical  references  are  of  great  importance. 
If  I  read  in  an  old  book  something  about  printing,  I 
at  once  know  that  it  was  written  since  the  invention 
of  printing.  If  I  should  find  a  book  of  biographies 
of  famous  American  generals,  and  it  had  in  it  no 
sketch  of  Grant  or  Lee,  I  should  at  once  conclude 
that  it  was  written  before  the  war  of  1 86 1-5. 

{g)  After  historical  and  archeological  allusions  and 
references,  come,  finally,  the  thoughts  or  ideas  of  the 
book.  If  I  am  reading  a  sermon,  and  find  it  strongly 
advocating  Calvinism,  I  instantly  infer  that  it  is  not  a 
sermon  by  John  Wesley. 

The  Anti-Mosaic  Theory  of  the  Origin  of  the 
Pentateuch. — It  is  impossible  to  discuss  the  origin 
of  Genesis  without  first  discussing  the  origin  of  the 
Pentateuch,  of  which  it  is  merely  a  part.  We  shall 
accordingly  take  up  the  broader  question  first. 
Among  theories  of  the  origin  of  the  Pentateuch  we 
shall  consider  first  the  most  widely  accepted  of  those 
that  deny  its  Mosaic  origin.  This  theory  may  be 
summarized  as  follows : 

About  midway  between  the  time  of  the  division  of 
Solomon's  kingdom  into  Ephraim  and  Judah  and  the 
destruction  of  Samaria,  the  capital  of  Ephraim, — 
that  is,  about  800  B.C., — there  was  composed  in 
Ephraim  a  document  containing  in  narrative  form  a 
recast  of  the  stories  in  oral  circulation  among  the 
people,  and  giving  an  account  of  things  from  Abraham 
down.  This  document  is  called  E,  on  the  ground 
that  it  uses  Elohim  and  not  Jehovah  as  the  designation 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  31 

of  God.  About  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later,  a 
similar  document  was  composed  in  Judah,  containing 
a  narrative  from  Adam  down.  It  is  called  J,  because 
it  uses  Jehovah  and  not  Elohim  as  the  name  of  God. 
Perhaps  after  the  destruction  of  Samaria  in  722  or 
721  B.C.,  these  two  documents  were  combined  into  one 
document,  which  is  called  JE.  As  neither  the  author 
of  E  nor  that  of  J  is  now  known,  so  neither  is  the 
name  of  the  redactor  who  combined  them.  In  the 
reign  of  Josiah,  about  621  b.c._,  a  third  document  was 
composed.  It  was  published,  however,  as  being  a 
work  of  Moses.  This  is  called  D,  on  the  ground  that 
it  w^as  substantially  the  same  as  is  our  present  book 
of  Deuteronomy.  From  the  publication  of  D,  cen- 
tralizing worship  at  Jerusalem  and  giving  new  promi- 
nence to  the  priesthood,  priestly  ritual  and  code  began 
a  rapid  development.  This  development  finally  cul- 
minated in  the  narrative,  laws,  and  regulations  known 
as  P,  for  priestly,  it  being  the  product  of  priests. 

It  is  not  necessary,  on  this  theory,  to  suppose  that 
P  was  ever  published  as  a  separate  document.  Rather 
the  priests  composed  the  Pentateuch,  contributing 
themselves  the  narrative  framework ;  putting  into 
that  framework  much  narrative  material  taken  from 
J  and  E,  or  from  JE,  and  now  found  in  Genesis  and 
the  first  part  of  Exodus,  and  even  in  scattered  frag- 
ments elsewhere  in  the  Pentateuch ;  putting  into  it 
their  priestly  laws  and  regulations,  which  make  most 
of  the  latter  part  of  Exodus,  most  of  Leviticus,  and 
much  of  Numbers;  and  putting  into  it  D,  now  the 
most  of  Deuteronomy.  This  priestly  work,  the  Penta- 
teuch, was  finished  long  after  the  return  in  536  b.  c, 
and  long  after  the  building  of  the  second  temple  in 


32      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

520-15  B.  c. — perhaps  not  far  from  400  b.  c.  As  the 
original  documents  from  time  to  time  underwent  more 
or  less  of  change  by  redactors  or  revisors,  so  the  com- 
pleted Pentateuch  suffered  some  later  redaction. 

For  this  theory,  at  first  sight  so  startling,  because  it 
puts  the  composition  of  the  Pentateuch  at  400  B.C. 
instead  of  at  1400  B.C.,  and  makes  the  earliest  writings 
that  were  afterwards  worked  into  it  to  have  been  first 
composed  six  hundred  years  after  Moses,  there  must 
be  some  show  of  reason.  Let  us  see  what  claims  are 
made: 

(a)  The  data  of  textual  criticism  can  make  sure 
to  us  only  that  the  Pentateuch  as  wq  now  have  it  was 
in  existence  as  far  back  as  300  b.c,  the  time  of  its 
translation  into  Greek;  and  this  theory  produces  it  by 
400  B.C. 

(b)  Opinion  cannot  now  be  pleaded  for  the  Mosaic 
origin  of  the  Pentateuch,  seeing  that  modern  scholars 
generally  reject  the  Mosaic  authorship  and  adopt  this 
theory  instead.  Even  New  Testament  opinion  can- 
not decide  the  question,  seeing  that  the  New  Testa- 
ment teachers  were  liable  to  assume  the  opinions  cur- 
rent in  their  time. 

(c)  There  is  no  testimony  from  the  contemporaries 
of  Moses  that  he  was  the  author  of  the  Pentateuch. 

(d)  Nowhere  in  the  Pentateuch  is  the  claim  made 
that  Moses  is  the  author.  He  is  represented  as  the 
author  of  certain  things  in  it,  but  never  as  the  author 
of  the  Pentateuch  as  a  whole.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to 
believe  that  he  is  the  author  of  all  that  is  ascribed  to 
him,  for  later  authors  would  be  anxious  to  get  for 
their  works  the  advantage  of  his  name. 

(e)  The    language    data    positively    support    this 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  33 

theory.  In  Genesis,  for  instance,  we  find  only  Elohim 
in  the  Hebrew  for  God,  till  we  come  to  2.4;  then 
we  find  Jehovah-Elohim  through  chapter  3,  then 
Jehovah  through  chapter  4;  and  then  Elohim  again. 
Similarly  throughout  the  Pentateuch  we  have  now 
Elohim  sections  and  now  Jehovah  sections,  indicating 
that  some  sections  are  taken  from  an  E  document  and 
some  from  a  J  document.  Other  words  also  associate 
themselves  respectively  with  these  words  for  the 
Deity.  Moreover,  many  expressions  are  found  in  the 
Pentateuch  that  did  not  come  into  use  till  centuries 
after  Moses.  Thence  is  inferred  the  lateness  of  the 
Pentateuch  as  a  whole,  and  by  this  evidence  it  is 
broken  up  into  its  component  documents. 

(/)  Historical  and  archeological  references  sustain 
this  theory.  Here  are  some  of  them:  Gen.  36. 
31,  at  the  head  of  a  list  of  kings,  "And  these  are  the 
kings  that  reigned  in  the  land  of  Edom  before  there 
reigned  any  king  over  the  children  of  Israel,"  could 
not  have  been  written  till  kings  began  to  reign  over 
Israel,  that  is,  until  centuries  after  Moses;  Ex.  6.2, 
3,  **  And  God  spake'  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him, 
I  am  Jehovah :  and  I  appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto 
Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  as  God  Almighty;  but  by  my 
name  Jehovah  I  w^as  not  known  to  them,"  is  part  of  a 
document  that  represented  the  name  Jehovah  as  un- 
known to  these  patriarchs  and  as  first  revealed  to 
Moses,  that  is,  the  P  document;  and  Deut.  34. if, 
giving  an  account  of  the  death  and  burial  of  Moses, 
was  obviously  not  written  by  Moses. 

{g)  Finally,  the  thoughts  and  ideas  in  the  Pen- 
tateuch, the  doctrines  and  the  institutions,  are  many 
of  them  too  highly  developed  to  have  been  uttered  or 


34      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

instituted  as  early  as  Moses'  time.  In  doctrines  and 
institutions,  as  in  all  other  departments  of  life,  there 
is  evolution,  development  of  the  higher  out  of  the 
lower,  of  the  complex  out  of  the  simple.  Monothe- 
ism, for  instance, — the  doctrine  of  one  personal  God, 
— is  found  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  but  could 
not  have  been  reached  till  late  in  the  evolution  6f 
Israel's  religion,  and  in  fact  never  prevailed  till  after 
the  Exile.  Hence  this  chapter  belongs  to  the  P  docu- 
ment. 

By  such  arguments  two  general  conclusions  are 
reached :  that  the  supposed  Mosaic  laws  and  institu- 
tions originated  long  after  Moses;  and  that  the  Pen- 
tateuch was  made  by  piecing  together  several  docu- 
ments of  distinct  origin.  And  the  details  of  separat- 
ing and  dating  the  documents  are  wrought  out  little 
by  little. 

Having  laid  down  the  principles  that  should  guide 
us  in  this  inquiry,  and  having  stated  the  arguments 
for  accepting  the  anti-Mosaic  theory,  we  now  present 
the  arguments  for  rejecting  it: 

It  is  true  that  the  data  of  textual  criticism  alone  can 
prove  only  that  the  Pentateuch  as  we  now  have  it 
existed  as  early  as  300  B.C.  But  there  are  three  re- 
marks to  be  made  here.  This  theory  of  the  post- 
Mosaic  composite  origin  of  the  Pentateuch  is  sup- 
ported by  arguments  which  also  require  a  later  origin 
for  much  of  the  rest  of  the  Old  Testament,  an  origin 
almost  certainly  later  than  the  latest  possible  date  of 
the  translation  of  the  Septuagint.  That  is,  if  the 
Pentateuch  was  not  composed  till  about  400  B.C., 
then  many  of  the  Psalms,  to  say  nothing  of  later 
Prophets,  were  composed  from  200  B.C.  down  to  100 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  35 

or  even  50  B.C. ;  but  textual  criticism  shows  us  these 
writings  ah'eady  translated  into  the  Greek  of  the 
Septuagint  before  they  could,  according  to  this  theory, 
have  been  composed  at  all.  This  theory  is  not  main- 
tained, and  cannot  be  maintained,  without  numerous 
and  violent  emendations  of  the  Massoretic  text,  emen- 
dations many  of  which  go  against  all  strictly  textual 
evidence,  and  have  to  rest  upon  the  assumption  of  the 
very  theory  for  the  support  of  which  they  are  made. 
For  instance,  Hosea  and  Amos,  written  long  before 
the  composition  of  the  Pentateuch,  if  this  theory  is 
true,  contain  quotations  from  P,  and  references  to 
P,  which  must  be  dated  as  much  as  three  centuries 
after  Hosea  and  Amos.  To  remove  this  difficulty, 
these  quotations  and  references,  in  the  face  of  all 
textual  evidence,  are  pronounced  to  be  later  interpola- 
tions. To  maintain  this  theory  it  is  necessary  to 
claim,  against  the  textual  evidence,  that  those  Old 
Testament  writings  which  were  written  before  the 
Exile  w^ere  re-edited  and  interpolated  after  the  Exile, 
the  result  being  that  the  text  of  the  Old  Testament 
is  made  out  to  be  too  uncertain  to  sustain  conclusive 
arguments  for  or  against  this  theory.  The  theory 
destroys  the  trustworthiness  of  evidence  for  itself. 
The  theory  commits  suicide,  in  order  to  escape  con- 
viction. 

As  to  opinion,  two  remarks  must  be  made  before 
we  present  the  main  point.  It  is  not  true  that  most 
competent  scholars  have  now  given  up  the  Mosaic  ori- 
gin of  the  Pentateuch.  To  say  nothing  of  the 
general  opinion  yet  prevailing  in  the  minds  of  most 
Biblical  scholars  who  are  not  specialists  in  this  branch 
of   Biblical   criticism,    the   specialists   themselves   are 


36      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

divided  into  two  distinct  camps :  those  who  deny  the 
historicity  of  the  Old  Testament  narratives,  claiming 
that  there  is  in  them  much  of  legend,  myth,  and  pious 
fiction,  and  who  also  deny  to  Moses  the  authorship 
of  most  of  the  so-called  Mosaic  legislation;  and  those 
who  accept  the  historicity  of  the  Old  Testament  nar- 
ratives, and  hence  attribute  to  Moses  all  that  the  Bible 
attributes  to  him.  When  we  get  back  of  our  own 
times,  from  a  century  or  a  century  and  a  half  ago 
back  to  the  New  Testament  and  beyond,  we  find  the 
opinion  of  both  Jews  and  Christians  practically 
unanimous  in  favor  of  the  Mosaic  authorship. 

This  brings  us  to  the  important  point,  the  opinion 
of  Jesus  and  his  apostles.  I  use  the  term  opinion, 
because  the  anti-Mosaist  denies  that  they  or  He  were 
competent  to  give  testimony  on  this  point.  Now  I 
do  not  here  inquire  whether  the  apostles  and  our  Lord 
made  Moses  the  author  of  the  whole  Pentateuch  or 
not ;  all  agree  that  they  made  him  the  author  of  D  and 
most  of  P,  which  this  theory  dates  from  seven  and 
nine  hundred  years  after  Moses.  In  other  words,  if 
this  theory  is  true,  both  Jesus  and  his  apostles  made 
statements  about  this  question  which  were  not  true, 
either  because  they  knew  no  better  or  because  they 
willingly  said  what  they  themselves  did  not  believe. 
If  our  Lord  did  so,  I  am  willing  to  discover  his  igno- 
rance or  his  complicity  with  error, — let  me  know  the 
truth,  though  Christianity  fall ! — but  I  do  demand 
evidence,  evidence  strong  enough  to  overbalance  that 
evidence  which  now  convinces  my  intellect  that  the 
word  of  Jesus  is  trustworthy. 

In  the  matter  of  testimony,  it  is  a  part  of  this 
theory  that  both  D  and  P  were  at  their  first  publica- 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  37 

tion  published  as  works  of  Moses.  To  this  must  be 
added  the  many  statements  throughout  both  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New  Testament,  that  Moses  was 
the  author  of  the  Pentateuch,  as  some  understand  the 
statements ;  or  at  least  that  he  was  the  author  of  much 
in  the  Pentateuch,  as  all  must  understand  them,  in- 
cluding the  very  material  which  this  theory  claims 
originated  from  seven  to  nine  centuries  after  Moses. 
This  Bible  doctrine  of  Mosaic  authorship  lies  indeed 
on  the  border  line  of  opinion  and  testimony;  but  we 
may  say  that  all  testimony,  and  all  opinion  that  at  all 
approaches  testimony,  contradicts  the  anti-Mosaic 
theory. 

The  Pentateuch  as  a  whole,  and  each  book  of  the 
Pentateuch  as  a  book,  omits  to  claim  an  author;  but 
in  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  and  Deuteronomy, 
Moses  is  again  and  again  named  as  the  prophet,  and 
often  as  the  writer,  to  whom  the  passage  belongs  as 
author.  These  claims  of  Mosaic  authorship  inside 
the  four  books  contradict  the  theory  of  the  post- 
Mosaic  origin  of  the  Pentateuch.  The  theory  has  to 
regard  these  claims  as  made  to  deceive. 

The  linguistic  evidence,  in  my  judgment,  is  decid- 
edly against  the  theory.  While  there  are  passages 
having  exclusively  Elohim,  and  others  having  exclu- 
sively Jehovah,  yet  such  passages  are  none  of  large 
extent;  and  many  passages  use  both  names  (as  Gen. 
7.16)  so  intermingled  that  the  theory  becomes  dis- 
credited in  undertaking  to  assign  successive  verses, 
and  even  fragments  of  verses,  some  to  one  document 
and  some  to  another.  And  as  a  Hebraist,  if  I  may 
claim  to  speak  as  such,  I  find  the  Hebrew  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch, both  in  words  and  constructions,  to  be  of  a- 


38      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

more  ancient  stage  of  the  Hebrew  language  than  the 
Hebrew  of  any  other  set  of  Old  Testament  books. 
Moreover,  as  already  pointed  out,  the  theory  cannot 
maintain  itself  at  all  without  making  all  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Hebrew  to  be  the  work  of  late  authors  and  late 
revisers,  and  thus  destroys  the  scientific  basis  for 
analysis  and  comparison  of  the  language  data.  To 
sum  up,  the  linguistic  evidence  is  either  not  applicable 
or  makes  against  the  theory. 

For  want  of  space  we  confine  our  attention  to  the 
historical  references  already  cited  in  favor  of  the 
theory,  with  one  additional  general  remark. 

The  reference  in  Gen.  36.31  to  kings  of  Israel 
proves  at  most  that  there  were  kings  in  Israel  before 
this  reference  was  inserted.  So  the  account  of  the 
death  of  Moses  at  the  end  of  Deuteronomy  proves  at 
most  that  this  account  was  placed  there  after  Moses. 
Here,  then,  are  two  passages  that  could  not  have  been 
written  by  Moses.  There  are  but  a  few  others  like 
them.  They  are  suf^cient  to  prove  that,  if  the  Pen- 
tateuch as  a  whole  has  Moses  as  author,  it  aftenvards 
received  some  minor  additions  under  later  editorial 
supervision ;  but  they  do  not  tend  to  show  that  Moses 
is  not  the  author  of  the  Pentateuch  as  a  whole. 

The  passage  Ex.  6.2-4  becomes  plain  if  we  remem- 
ber that  Hebrew  uses  the  same  word  for  "  and  "  and 
"  but,"  and  has  no  punctuation  like  our  interrogation 
point,  and  translate  as  follows :  "  And  God  spake 
unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him,  '  I  am  Jehovah :  and 
I  appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto 
Jacob,  as  God  Almighty;  and  by  my  name  Jehovah 
was  I  not  known  to  them?  And  I  also  established 
my  covenant  with  them/ "  etc.     We  have  a  strong 


THE    ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  39 

assertion  that  he  was  known  to  them  as  Jehovah, 
which  accords  with  the  Genesis  history.  And  it  is 
incredible  that  a  compiler  would  have  left  here  a  flat 
contradiction  to  that  which  is  the  current  representa- 
tion in  what  precedes.  Beyond  these  special  points  we 
must  lay  emphasis  on  this  fact,  that  there  are  through- 
out Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  and  Deuteronomy 
many  names  and  references  to  events  of  the  times,  so 
numerous  and  so  minutely  accurate,  as  to  show  that 
the  bulk  of  the  material  comes  from  the  time  of 
Moses.  The  whole  historical  and  geographical  color- 
ing is  too  thoroughly  consistent  with  the  times  and 
places  of  Moses  to  permit  any  serious  doubt  of  its 
origin  from  Moses. 

And  as  to  institutions  and  ideas,  every  institution 
and  doctrine  of  the  Pentateuch  develops  gradually 
and  consistently  from  a  simple  beginning.  Take  mar- 
riage, the  Sabbath,  covenant,  sacrifice,  ceremonial 
purifications,  festivals,  civil  government — in  eacli  in- 
stance the  institution  is  more  complex,  more  highly 
developed  in  Deuteronomy  than  in  Genesis,  and  there 
is  gradual  progress  from  Genesis  to  Deuteronomy. 
So  of  doctrines  without  exception.  The  contention 
of  the  theory,  that  the  doctrines  and  institutions  are 
too  advanced  for  the  time  of  Moses,  rests  upon  an  un- 
supported hypothesis  that  religious  truth  is  an  evolu- 
tion out  of  primitive  error.  The  Pentateuch  makes 
religious  truth  in  its  higher  forms  to  have  started  from 
germinal  truth.  The  Petateuch  grows  truth  out  of 
truth;  the  theory  transmutes  it  out  of  error.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  claim  that  Pentateuchal  ideas  and 
institutions  are  too  advanced  for  Mosaic  times.  Cen- 
turies before  Moses  there  were  on  the  Euphrates  and 


40      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

on  the  Nile  systems  of  civil  law  and  religious  ritnal 
as  complex  as  those  of  Moses.  And  the  theism  of 
Moses  is  no  more  highly  developed  than  the  polythe- 
ism of  contemporary  nations. 

I  conclude,  then,  that  this  post-Mosaic  origin  of  the 
Pentateuch  is  utterly  baseless.  It  is  founded  on  a 
false  philosophy,  and  opposes  itself  to  the  facts. 
There  does  emerge  that  Moses  could  not  have  written 
out  the  Pentateuch  as  it  is,  with  its  account  of  his 
death  and  burial;  that,  however  much  or  little  Moses 
did  as  author,  the  Pentateuch  received  some  sort  and 
degree  of  editorial  treatment  after  his  day;  but  it  also 
emerges  that  continued  discovery  and  investigation 
only  increases  the  scientific  certainty  that  the  Pen- 
tateuch is  Mosaic  and  not  post-Mosaic. 

The  Theory  of  the  Mosaic  Authorship  of  the 
Pentateuch. — Having  in  the  use  of  genetic  criti- 
cism rejected  that  anti-Mosaic  theory  of  the  origin  of 
the  Pentateuch  most  worthy  of  present  consideration, 
we  come  to  test  by  the  same  means  and  methods  the 
theory  of  Mosaic  authorship. 

In  addition  to  the  fact  that  the  data  of  textual  criti- 
cism show  our  Pentateuch  to  have  been  in  existence 
before  300  B.C.,  it  is  also  true  that  these  data  show 
all  our  Old  Testament  to  have  been  in  existence  by 
that  time,  or  at  the  latest  by  200  B.C.  Not  only  so, 
but  textual  criticism  makes  it  invincibly  probable  that 
the  autographic  Hebrew  text  of  all  these  writings 
was  till  then  preserved  without  serious  corruption. 

Textual  criticism  also  shows  that  the  Pentateuch  is 
older  than  any  other  set  of  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 


THE   ORIGIN    OF   GENESIS  41 

ment.  For  instance,  Hos.  i.io  refers  to  Gen.  22.17 
and  32.12;  Hos.  3.4,  to  passages  in  Exodus  about  the 
ephod;  Hos.  5.10,  to  Deut.  27.17;  Hos.  9.4,  to  Ex. 
29.40;  Hos.  9.10,  to  Num.  25.1  f;  Hos.  11.8,  to  Gen. 
14.8;  Hos.  12.3-5,  to  Gen.  25.26  and  28.13-15  and 
32.26,  28  and  35.10-15  and  Ex.  3.15;  Hos.  12.12,  13, 
to  Gen.  28.5  and  29.20  and  Ex.  14.19-22;  Hos.  13.15 
to  Gen.  49.22.  And  stronger  far  than  such 
quotations  and  references,  of  which  these  are  but 
specimens,  is  the  whole  coloring  of  words  and  phrase- 
ology, of  customs,  of  conceptions.  Hosea,  as  it  is, 
presuppposes  the  Pentateuch.  The  same  is  true  of 
Amos  and  of  the  Prophets  generally,  of  the  historical 
books,  of  the  Psalms,  and  even  of  the  Wisdom  books, 
except  Job.  But  all  agree  that  some  Old  Testament 
books,  as  Hosea  and  Amos,  are  as  old  as  800  b.c.  ; 
and  I  know  of  no  one  who  admits  the  Pentateuch  to 
be  as  old  as  800  b.c.  and  denies  to  David  the  Psalms 
ascribed  to  him,  which  Psalms  presuppose  the  exist- 
ence of  our  Pentateuch.  We  thus  go  back  by  textual 
criticism  to  the  first  half  of  David's  reign  as  the  lat- 
est possible  date  of  the  origin  of  our  Pentateuch — 
that  is,  our  Pentateuch  was  in  existence  as  early  as 
1000  B.C. 

"  Moses  "  occurs  outside  of  the  Pentateuch,  if  I  have 
not  miscounted,  109  times  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
80  times  in  the  New  Testament.  In  the  most  of  these 
passages  Moses  is  represented  as  the  author,  and  in 
many  of  them  as  the  writer,  of  matter  in  the  Pen- 
tateuch. In  many  other  passages  "  the  law  "  occurs 
as  a  synonym  of  *' the  law  of  Moses  ";  and  w^herever 
"the  law"  occurs  in  this  sense,  if  its  contents  are  in- 


42      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

dicated,  they  are  found  in  the  Pentateuch.  Some- 
times ''the  law"  occurs  in  a  broader  sense,  so  as  to 
include  matter  found  outside  the  Pentateuch,  and 
even  in  the  Psalms;  and  sometimes  it  occurs  in  con- 
nections that  do  not  determine  whether  or  not  it  means 
the  law  of  Moses;  but  at  least  many  scores  of  pass- 
ages through  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment ascribe  to  Moses  matter  found  in  the  Pentateuch, 
but  none  ever  ascribes  to  Moses  matter  found  outside 
of  the  Pentateuch. 

Nowhere  in  the  Hebrew  does  the  word  ''  Pen- 
tateuch "  invented  by  the  Septuagint  translators  oc- 
cur, nor  "the  books  of  Moses";  and  *'the  book  of 
Moses"  occurs  only  twice,  2  Chron.  35.12  and  Neh. 
13.1.  "  The  book  of  Moses,"  "  the  book  of  the  law  of 
Moses,"  "the  law  of  Moses,"  and  "the  book  of  the 
law,"  and  "the  law"  as  synonyms  of  "the  law  of 
Moses,"  are  never  used  as  designations  of  our  Pen- 
tateuch, or  of  any  book  or  books  of  it,  unmistakably; 
yet  when  we  remember  that  at  the  time  when  some- 
thing was  called  "  the  book  of  Moses  "  our  Pentateuch 
was  in  existence,  and  that  there  is  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  law  parts  of  the  Pentateuch  were  written 
out  apart  from  the  matter  that  they  are  connected 
with  in  our  Pentateuch,  we  must  conclude  that  "the 
book  of  Moses "  designated  either  the  whole  Pen- 
tateuch or  some  part  of  it  as  it  now  is.  This  would 
not  necessarily  mean  that  Moses  was  the  author  of 
every  sentence  or  paragraph  in  the  book ;  yet  it  would 
mean  that  Moses  was,  in  the  main,  the  author  of  its 
contents. 

To  sum  up:  it  is  the  doctrine  of  the  rest  of  the  Old 
Testament  and  of  the  New  Testament  that  Moses  is 


THE  ORIGIN   OF  GENESIS  43 

the  author  of  the  law  contained  in  our  Pentateuch, 
including  not  only  the  formal  laws,  but  also  the  facts 
in  which  the  laws  were  given. 

From  one  point  of  view  none  of  this  teaching  of 
Mosaic  authorship  can  be  lifted  above  opinion  and 
called  testimony;  but  from  another  point  of  view  it  is 
really  testimony.  This  is  the  teaching  of  the  succes- 
sion of  the  Prophets  from  Moses  down  through  the 
Old  Testament  and  the  New  Testament.  This  succes- 
sion of  Prophets  is  itself  a  responsible  guild,  compet- 
ent in  its  early  beginning  to  know  the  reality  and  limits 
of  Mosaic  authorship,  and  to  preserve  and  transmit 
this  knowledge.  The  Mosaic  authorship,  then,  is  sup- 
ported by  the  uniform  traditional  testimony  of  the 
Prophets  and  Apostles,  leading  up  to  Christ  and  away 
from  Him.  And  no  one  is  able  to  deny  this  Mosaic 
authorship  and  not  affirm  that  there  was  somewhere 
in  the  course  of  this  transmission  a  willing  misrepre- 
sentation on  the  part  of  these  witnesses. 

While  neither  the  Pentateuch  as  a  whole  nor  any 
book  of  it  as  a  book  claims  a  specified  author, 
'*  Moses "  occurs  in  it  hundreds  of  times  as  the 
prophet,  and  in  many  and  many  cases  as  the  writer, 
of  this  and  that  material,  so  that  the  bulk  of  the 
material  from  where  Moses  is  first  mentioned  in  Ex. 
2.10  to  the  end  of  Deuteronomy  is  self-ascribed  to 
Moses.  And  any  one  who  denies  this  material  to 
Moses,  also  denies  the  truthfulness  of  these  ascrip- 
tions. 

The  linguistic  evidence  makes  the  Pentateuch  the 
oldest  of  Old  Testament  writings  (unless  Job).  All 
admit  this,  except  that  the  advocates  of  the  post- 
Mosaic  composite  origin  claim  that  some  strata  of  the 


44      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

Pentateuch  are  comparatively  late  Hebrew.  But  this 
cannot  be  proved;  and,  the  composite  theory  being 
overcome,  all  will  agree  that  Pentateuchal  Hebrew  is 
relatively  early. 

We  come  now  to  the  historical  and  archeological 
references.  The  references  innumerable  everywhere 
in  the  Pentateuch  to  places,  persons,  events,  and  cus- 
toms prove  that  the  narratives  originated  in  close  con- 
nection with  the  events,  and  have  suffered  little 
change  since  their  first  composition.  It  would  take 
more  than  one  chapter  to  begin  to  exhibit  this  evidence 
in  detail,  and  it  cannot  be  appreciated  except  in  a 
minute  study  of  the  narratives ;  but  unmistakable  is  the 
impression,  and  it  grows  in  strength  the  longer  one 
gives  one's  self  to  the  study.  This  evidence  forces 
those  who  make  Moses  the  author  of  Genesis  to  the 
theory  that  he  was  but  its  compiler  out  of  older 
material,  and  those  who  make  the  Pentateuch  a  late 
composite  to  the  theory  that  the  late  documents 
gathered  much  of  indefinitely  ancient  stories;  and  it 
is  strong  enough  to  overcome  every  theory  that  denies 
the  early  and  successive  origin  of  the  successive  nar- 
ratives. In  particular,  it  fixes  in  the  time  of  Moses 
the  origin  of  the  bulk  of  the  other  four  books.  On 
the  other  hand,  such  references  as  Deut.  34. if  post- 
pone the  completion  of  the  compilation  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch till  after  the  death  of  Moses;  and  such  ref- 
erences as  Gen.  36.31  postpone  it  till  as  late  as  Saul. 

Seeing  that  the  Pentateuch  could  not  have  been 
finished  till  the  reign  of  Saul,  which  began 
about  1060  B.C.,  and  must  have  been  finished 
some  time  before  800  B.C.,  say  by  the  end  of 
Jehoshaphat's  reign  in  854  B.C.,  we  must  locate  its 


THE   ORIGIN   OF   GENESIS  45 

completion  in  the  two  centuries  beginning  1060  B.C. 
But  all  who  admit  that  our  Pentateuch  existed  as 
early  as  800  B.C.,  also,  by  the  same  sorts  of  evidence, 
are  convinced  that  David  is  the  author  of  the  Psalms 
ascribed  to  him ;  and  it  is  agreed  by  all  that  the  Davidic 
Psalms,  or  many  of  them,  are  later  than  the  Pen- 
tateuch. Hence  the  Pentateuch  could  not  have  been 
finished  later  than,  say,  the  middle  of  David's  reign 
— that  is,  later  than  1000  B.C.  We  thus  fix  the  final 
compilation  of  the  Pentateuch  in  the  reign  of  Saul 
or  the  first  half  of  the  reign  of  David. 

In  Josh.  15.63  we  read,  "And  as  for  the  Jebusites, 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  the  children  of  Judah 
could  not  drive  them  out ;  but  the  Jebusites  dwell  with 
the  children  of  Judah  at  Jerusalem  unto  this  day  " — 
unto  the  day  when  Joshua  was  written  out.  (C/. 
Jdg.  1.2 1.)  In  2  Sam.  5.6f  we  read  that  David,  after 
he  was  made  king  of  all  Israel,  smote  the  Jebusites 
at  Jerusalem,  took  their  stronghold,  and  dwelt  in  it. 
Now  Josh.  15.63  was  written  before  David  dispos- 
sessed the  Jebusites  of  Jerusalem.  And,  the  Pen- 
tateuch and  Joshua  being  one  continuous  composition, 
the  Pentateuch  was  written  out  before  Joshua. 
Therefore  the  Pentateuch  was  written  out  before 
David  became  king  of  Israel. 

We  thus  reach  the  conclusion  that  the  final  compila- 
tion of  the  Pentateuch  belongs  in  the  reign  of  Saul. 
But  who  was  there  in  the  reign  of  Saul  competent  to 
do  this?  Samuel,  the  founder  of  the  order  of  the 
Prophets.  For  Genesis  he  had  the  same  materials 
that  originated  before  Moses,  and  whatever  Moses 
added  to  that  material,  if  any;  and  for  the  other  four 
books  he  had  the  materials  left  by  Moses,  which  con- 


46      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

stitute  the  bulk  of  them,  making  Moses  their  author, 
Samuel  being  only  editor. 

This  conclusion  in  favor  of  Mosaic  authorship  is 
fully  confirmed  by  the  doctrines  and  institutions  found 
throughout  the  Pentateuch,  as  pointed  out  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter. 

The  Origin  of  Genesis. — Having  established  the 
fact  that  Moses  is  the  author  of  the  Pentateuch,  in 
that  the  bulk  of  it  originated  with  him,  and  in  that 
so  much  of  it  as  originated  before  him  received  at 
least  his  endorsement,  I  purpose  now  to  push  our  in- 
quiry further,  and  to  inquire  specially  into  the  origin 
of  Genesis. 

By  textual  criticism  we  not  only  find  our  Genesis 
in  existence  as  early  as  the  other  four  books  of  the 
Pentateuch,  but  we  also  find  Genesis  numerously 
quoted  and  referred  to  in  them.  The  origin  of 
Genesis  is  prior  to  the  origin  of  the  rest  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch. 

Never  is  anything  from  Genesis  attributed  to  Moses 
in  the  rest  of  the  Pentateuch,  in  the  rest  of  the  Old 
Testament  or  in  the  New  Testament,  although 
Genesis  is  quoted  or  referred  to  hundreds  of  times 
from  Exodus  to  Revelation;  nor  is  anything  from 
Genesis  ever  represented  as  belonging  to  the  law  of 
Moses. 

On  the  contrary,  consider  the  following.  In  Mat. 
19.3-8  we  read,  "  And  there  came  unto  him  Pharisees, 
trying  him,  and  saying.  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put 
away  his  wife  for  every  cause?  And  he  answered 
and  said,  Have  ye  not  read  that  he  who  made  them 
from   the   beginning,    made   them   male   and    female 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  GENESIS  47 

[Gen.  1.27],  and  said,  For  this  cause  shall  a  man 
leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his 
wife;  and  the  two  shall  become  one  flesh  [Gen.  2.24]  ? 
So  that  they  are  no  more  two,  but  one  flesh.  What 
therefore  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put 
asunder.  They  say  unto  him.  Why  then  did  Moses 
command  to  give  her  a  bill  of  divorcement,  and  put  her 
away  [Deut.  24.1-4]?  He  saith  unto  them,  Moses  for 
your  hardness  of  heart  suffered  you  to  put  away  your 
wives;  but  from  the  beginning  it  hath  not  been  so." 
(C/.  Mk.  10.2-9.)  This  involves  the  existence  of 
divine  law,  revealed  teaching,  before  Moses,  and  does 
not  allow  him  to  be  the  prophet  through  whom  that 
divine  teaching  was  first  given. 

In  Jno.  7.22  Jesus  says,  "On  this  account  Moses 
hath  given  you  circumcision, — not  that  it  is  of  Moses, 
but  of  the  fathers,"  etc.  Here  the  fathers  are  re- 
garded as  men  through  whom  God  gave  law  and 
revelation  in  the  sense  in  which  he  afterwards  gave 
law  and  revelation  through  Moses,  and  the  teaching 
given  through  them  and  recorded  in  Genesis  is  re- 
garded as  pre-Mosaic.  Genesis,  then,  or  its  contents, 
must  have  been  regarded  by  our  Lord  as  pre-Mosaic 
rather  than  as  Mosaic. 

Once  more,  we  read  in  Gal.  3.17,  "But  this  I  say, 
A  covenant  confirmed  beforehand  by  God,  the  law, 
which  came  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  after, 
doth  not  disannul,  so  as  to  make  the  promise  of  none 
effect."  In  the  face  of  this  distinction  by  Paul,  we 
cannot  say  that  the  law,  equivalent  to  the  law  of 
Moses,  includes  Genesis,  and  so  ascribe  Genesis  to 
Moses.  The  Bible  doctrine  is  that  Genesis  is  not 
from  Moses,  but   from  the   fathers,  in  the  sense  in 


48      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

which  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  and  Deuteronomy 
are  from  Moses. 

Of  course  there  is  no  testimony  anywhere  ascrib- 
ing anything  in  Genesis  to  Moses.  In  Genesis  itself 
^'  Moses  "  does  not  occur.  There  are  points  in  which 
the  language  of  Genesis  shows  itself  to  belong  to  an 
earlier  stage  of  the  Hebrew  than  the  language  of  the 
other  four  books. ^ 

While  historical  references  such  as  36.31  postpone 
the  final  compilation  or  editing  to  the  reign  of  Saul, 
yet  throughout  the  book  narrative  after  narrative, 
by  numerous  references,  by  failures  to  refer  to  later 
facts,  and  by  their  whole  coloring,  show  themselves 
to  have  originated,  as  they  are,  in  close  connection 
with  the  events  recorded;  show  themselves  to  be  the 
testimony  of  eye-witnesses.  It  is  simply  impossible 
that  Moses  should  have  been  the  original  composer  of 
any  narrative  in  Genesis  unless  of  the  story  of  Joseph. 
Finally,  the  ideas  and  institutions  in  Genesis  are 
germinal  to  those  in  Exodus-Deuteronomy. 

Genesis,  therefore,  is  pre-Mosaic.  The  successive 
narratives  that  constitute  it  came  from  the  actors  and 
witnesses  of  the  events  recorded,  and  have  been  trans- 
mitted to  us  substantially  unchanged.  Whether  Moses 
compiled  them  into  our  Genesis,  leaving  to  Samuel 
only  the  few  immaterial  editorial  notes  that  are  later 
than  Moses,  or  merely  used  them  as  his  Bible,  and 
handed  them  down  as  he  found  them,  he  endorsed 
them ;  but  he  did  not  compose  them. 

Three  conclusions  I  wish  to  express  at  the  end  of 
this  inquiry. 

^  The  difficulty  of  explaining-  some  of  the  etymologies  in 
Genesis  lies  here.    Cf.    "Babel,"  p.  no. 


THE  ORIGIN   OF   GENESIS  49 

(a)  The  whole  Bible  is  an  organic  unity.  One 
Mind  speaks  throughout,  uttering  one  revelation.  The 
words  that  he  utters  through  inspired  men  interpret 
the  events  and  facts,  and  these  interpret  the  words. 
The  One  Mind  is  working  and  speaking,  creating 
and  causing  to  grow,  fact  by  fact  and  word  by  word, 
the  one  revelation.  It  must  therefore  be  studied  as 
one  organic  whole. 

(b)  I  am  slow  to  say  that  Christianity  is  logically 
bound  up  wath  this  or  that  doctrine.  And  yet,  in 
spite  of  my  disinclination  to  take  such  a  position,  and 
my  determination  to  hold  on  to  fragments  of  truth 
even  when  I  have  not  enough  of  them  to  make  a 
system  out  of  them,  I  must  confess  that  I  do  not  see 
how  to  sever  the  worship  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son 
of  God,  which  is  Christianity,  from  the  historicity  of 
the  Old  Testament,  especially  of  the  Pentateuch,  and 
more  especially  of  Genesis. 

(c)  While  the  historicity  of  the  Pentateuch  seems 
to  me  to  make  the  other  four  books  Mosaic  in  origin, 
it  seems  equally  to  make  Genesis  pre-Mosaic,  each 
narrative  being  from  the  actors  and  witnesses.  They 
are  therefore  to  be  understood  as  told  by  their  first 
composers.  The  law  of  interpretation  of  Genesis  is 
to  hear,  not  Samuel,  and  not  even  Moses,  speaking 
therein,  but  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob, 
Joseph.  Let  them  tell  us  things  as  they  saw  and  heard 
and  experienced  them.  For  our  God  began  his  revela- 
tion in  Eden,  and  in  divers  portions  and  divers  man- 
ners continued  it,  until  it  found  perfect  expression  in 
Jesus  Christ  and  final  interpretation  through  his 
apostles. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE     LITERARY     FORM     AND     STRUCTURE     OF     GENESIS 

Form  and  Method  of  Composition. — Genesis 
is  a  compilation  of  narratives  of  fact,  with  a  few 
explanatory  and  connecting  notes  inserted,  all  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  make  it  a  fitting  introduction  to  the 
prophetic  compilation  of  such  narratives  of  Israel's 
history. 

Genesis  is  part  of  a  larger  work.  If  the  Bible 
student  will  read  through  the  Pentateuch  and  Joshua, 
which  together  are  called  the  Hexateuch,  he  will  see 
that  the  six  books  are  one  continuous  narrative. 
Again,  if  he  will  read  Judges,  Ruth,  I  and  II  Samuel, 
I  and  II  Kings,  which  we  may  call  the  Second  Hexa- 
teuch, he  will  see  that  these  six  books  are  one  con- 
tinuous narrative.  By  examination  he  will  see  also 
that  the  break  between  Joshua  and  Judges  is  but  slight, 
Judges  really  taking  up  the  story  where  Joshua  left 
it  off,  taking  it  up  by  repetition  very  much  as  Luke 
in  Acts,  his  second  treatise,  takes  up  the  story  where 
his  Gospel  left  it  off.  These  two  Hexateuchs  consti- 
tute one  work. 

We  have  already  proved  that  the  first  Hexateuch 
was  finished  under  Samuel  in  the  reign  of  Saul;  and 
a  comparison  of  Jdg.  1.2 1  with  Josh.  15.63  will  show 
that  the  Second  Hexateuch  was  begun  at  the  same 
time,  and,  of  course,  under  the  same  direction.  The 
whole  work  is  therefore  prophetic — the  work  of 
prophets. 

50 


THE  STRUCTURE  OF  GENESIS  51 

There  are  two  sorts  of  prophecy — narrative  proph- 
ecy and  sermonic  prophecy.  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Lamen- 
tations, Ezekiel,  and  Daniel,  and  the  Twelve  Minor 
Prophets,  are  predominantly  sermonic,  while  the  two 
Hexateuchs,  and  Chronicles,  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and 
Esther,  are  predominantly  narrative.  That  is,  the  one 
is  mostly  narration ;  the  other  is  mostly  discourse. 

But  w^hat  is  prophecy?  It  is  revelation.  When 
men  observe,  and  study  what  they  observe,  they  learn. 
That  which  they  observe  is  that  which  God  created 
and  works  in  and  through,  and  is  therefore  in  some 
sense  indicative  of  what  God  is  and  has  in  mind; 
just  as  that  which  a  man  has  made  and  still  works  in 
and  through  is  indicative  of  what  the  man  is  and  has 
in  mind,  even  if  the  man  himself  neither  shows  him- 
self nor  speaks.  If  in  addition  to  his  work  the  man 
speaks,  purposely  communicating  his  mind,  then  his 
w^ord  reveals  him  in  a  sense  in  which  his  work  does 
not.  In  this  sense,  prophecy  is  revelation ;  for  God 
speaks  through  prophets,  purposely  communicating  his 
mind. 

What  is  narrative  prophecy?  A  man  may  make 
revelation,  in  the  higher  sense  of  the  term,  in  and 
through  some  selected  work,  if  in  some  way  the  ob- 
servers understand  that  in  that  particular  work  he 
is  intending  to  make  such  revelation.  If  to  me,  who 
was  not  an  observer  of  this  work,  it  is  to  be  made 
revelatory,  the  work  must  be  narrated  to  me,  and 
narrated  as  being,  in  this  special  sense,  revelation. 
So  God  may  select  a  certain  work,  and  in  and  through 
that  work  reveal  himself  as  in  and  through  a  word ; 
but  that  revelatory  work  must  be  certified  as  revela- 
tory, and  to  those  who  did  not  observe  it  it  must  be 


52      AN    INTERPRETATION   OF    GENESIS 

narrated,  and  narrated  as  revelatory.  Such  narration 
is  narrative  prophecy. 

Now  Samuel  completed  the  compilation  of  this 
narrative  (Genesis-Kings)  down  to  his  own  times,  and 
left  it  to  be  continued  by  the  succession  of  prophets 
as  a  prophetic  narrative.  The  unity  of  this  narrative 
grows  out  of  the  unity  of  the  facts,  the  facts  being 
a  series  of  facts,  or  one  great  course  of  facts,  intended 
by  God  to  be  revelatory.  As  this  revelation  was 
made  to  and  in  a  chosen  people,  this  narrative  or 
compilation  of  narratives  unifies  itself  in  being  the 
history  of  Israel  as,  and  in  so  far  as  Israel  is,  a  revela- 
tory work  of  God. 

Genesis,  being  an  introduction  to  the  prophetic 
narration  of  Israel's  history,  is  so  arranged  as  to  make 
it  a  fitting  introduction.  As  an  introduction  to  the 
history  of  Israel  it  is  a  history  of  the  origin  of  Israel. 
But  this  people  Israel  began  as  twelve  tribes.  Hence 
Genesis  is  the  prophetic  narrative  of  the  origin  of 
the  twelve  tribes.  Or  rather  it  is  a  compilation  of 
narratives  than  a  narrative.  The  different  narratives 
originated  in  close  connection  with  the  facts,  and 
correctly  represent  the  facts  as  the  facts  were  pre- 
sented to  the  observers. 

Each  of  these  narratives  is  itself  prophetic,  select- 
ing from  all  the  facts  those  intended  to  be  revelatory, 
and  correctly  describing  or  narrating  them.  Besides 
the  mere  description  or  narration  of  facts,  there  is 
more  or  less  of  explanatory  matter,  not  to  speak  of 
words  of  revelation  originally  given  with  the  facts 
and  embodied  in  them.  The  narratives  as  first  com- 
posed, being  ever  the  revelation  in  w^hich  each  prophet 
took  his  own  position  for  receiving  and  recording  new 


THE  STRUCTURE  OF  GENESIS  53 

revelation,  may  have  received  now  and  then  a  pro- 
phetic addition  or  inserted  explanation,  down  to  and 
even  including  the  final  compiler.  The  compiler  would 
weld  the  narrative  together  by  putting  in  necessary 
connecting  matter;  but  this  connecting  matter,  as  well 
as  any  editorial  work  after  the  first  form  of  the  nar- 
rative was  composed,  is  all  prophetic. 

The  Compiler's  Sections. — Taking  up  this  pro- 
phetic narrative  of  the  origin  of  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel,  we  find  that  it  falls  into  twelve  sections.  Each 
section  except  the  first  has  as  a  heading  ''  The  Descend- 
ants of ."     The  third  section  has  as  its  heading 

*'  The  Book  of  the  Descendants  of ."     This  may 

have  been  already  the  heading  of  the  narrative  be- 
ginning with  it  in  each  case;  but  most  of  these  head- 
ings were  probably  inserted  by  the  editorial  compiler. 
Both   the   Common   and  the  Revised  Versions  have 

"'  the  generations  of "  ;  but  the  meaning  is  ^*  the 

descendants  of."  And  in  every  case  the  heading 
points  to  the  main  idea  in  the  contents  of  the  section 
following. 

The  twelve  sections  of  Genesis  are  as  follows: 

I. — The  Origin  of  the  Heavens  and  the  Earth, 
I.I— 2.3; 

2. — These  are  the  Descendants  of  the  Heavens  and 
the  Earth,  2.4 — 4.26; 

3. — This    is    the    Book    of    the    Descendants    of 
Adam,  5.1 — 6.8; 

4. — These  are   the   Descendants  of   Noah,   6.9 — 
9.29; 

5. — And  These  are  the  Descendants  of  the  Sons  of 
Noah,   10. 1 — 1 1.9; 


54      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

6. — These  are  the  Descendants  of  Shem,  ii.  10-26; 
7. — And    These    are   the    Descendants   of   Terah, 
11.27— 25.11; 

8. — And  These  are  the  Descendants  of  Ishmael, 
AjDraham's  Son,  25.12 — 18; 

9. — And  These  are  the  Descendants  of  Isaac,  Abra- 
ham's Son,  25.19 — 35.29; 

10. — And  These  are  the  Descendants  of  Esau  (that 
is,  Edom),  36.1-8; 

II. — And  These  are  the  Descendants  of  Esau,  the 
Father  of  the  Edomites  in  Mount  Seir,  36.9 — 37.1 ; 

12. — These  are  the  Descendants  of  Jacob,  37.2 — 
50.26. 

After  the  origin  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  atten- 
tion is  turned  to  their  descendants,  man,  and  his 
history  is  carried  far  enough  to  show  what  man  is 
as  man  sphts  into  the  two  Hnes  or  famihes  headed 
respectively  by  Adam  and  Cain.  Then  the  hne  of 
Adam  is  selected,  and  the  history  of  his  descendants 
is  traced  through  long  development  and  ultimate  cor- 
ruption, till  choice  is  made  of  Noah.  Then  comes 
the  history  of  his  descendants,  and  their  separation 
from  the  rest  of  Adam's  line  by  the  flood,  until  there 
is  rejection  of  Canaan  and  choice  of  Shem  and 
Japheth.  Then  their  descendants  follow  until  Shem 
comes  fully  to  the  foreground.  Then  the  line  of  Shem's 
descendants  is  traced  till  it  is  time  to  elect  the  house 
of  Terah.  His  descendants  then  walk  forth  into  the 
history,  until  from  among  them  Isaac  becomes  the 
chosen  one,  Ishmael  being  comparatively  set  aside. 
A  parenthetical  section,  however,  is  given  to  Ishmael's 
descendants,  so  important  in  their  future  to  the 
Israelites.    Then  the  descendants  of  Isaac  are  brought 


THE  STRUCTURE  OF  GENESIS  55 

forward  until  Esau  and  Jacob  are  fully  before  us, 
with  Jacob  as  the  chosen  one.  Now  comes  in  a  par- 
enthetical section  on  the  descendants  of  Esau,  and 
another  on  their  development  in  Mount  Seir/  Finally 
the  history  of  the  descendants  of  Jacob  is  followed, 
till  they  are  settled  in  Egypt. 

Fundamental  to  the  interpretation  of  Genesis  is  the 
historical  imagination.  We  must  understand  these 
narratives,  not  as  if  they  were  told  us  now  and  by 
some  angel  from  heaven,  but  as  told  in  close  connec- 
tion with  the  events  and  by  actors  in  them  and  eye- 
witnesses of  them.  A  fact  once  clearly  apprehended 
by  us  through  this  narration  is  a  revelatory  fact  given 
to  its  contemporaries,  and  given  to  us,  to  teach  us 
as  well  as  them;  but  the  fact  itself  we  must  take  as 
it  was  given  to  them.  We  may  learn  from  it  some- 
thing they  did  not  learn,  but  that  something  we  must 
learn  from  it  as  told  by  them. 

1  Did  the  compiler  make  two  sections  here,  so  as  to  get,  in 
all,  twelve  sections,  the  number  of  the  tribes? 


TRANSLATION  AND  NOTES 


PREFACE  TO  THE  TRANSLATION 

This  translation  is  not  designed  to  supersede  the 
Authorized  Version  or  the  Revised  Version.  Nor  is  it 
offered  as  being  all  that  an  authoritative  translation  for 
public  and  private  use  should  be.  Rather  it  is  an  inter- 
pretative translation,  intended,  as  a  part  of  the  present 
interpretation  of  Genesis,  to  replace,  in  what  is  hoped  a 
more  readable  form,  a  mass  of  critical  and  exegetical 
notes. 

This  is  its  primary  purpose.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
an  experiment  toward  a  task  which,  it  is  believed,  is  one 
of  those  most  incumbent  upon  the  Church  and  upon  the 
devout  Biblical  scholarship  of  the  present  day, — to  make 
a  fresh  and  independent  translation  of  the  Bible  into 
modern  English.  The  Revised  Version,  of  course,  did 
not  attempt  this  task.  Instead  of  putting  the  Bible  into 
the  vernacular  of  our  own  time,  it  altered  merely  those 
words  and  phrases  that  were  considered  inaccurate  or  that 
had  become  unintelligible.  But  that  was  far  from  doing 
for  us  what  the  sixteenth  century  translators  did,  so 
magnificently,  for  their  own  day.  They  made  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Bible  one  with  the  language  then  on  men's 
lips  in  home  and  street.  To-day  the  language  of  the 
Bible,  in  the  inevitable  processes  of  linguistic  change,  has 
become  a  religious  or  a  theological  dialect.  That  it 
has  in  part  become  even  unintelligible  to  the  ordinary 
reader  is  a  little  matter;  that  it  has  on  the  whole 
become  unreal  to  him  is  a  very  great  matter.  The 
marvelous  beauty  of  style  and  rhythm,  given  it  partly 
by  the  skill  of  the  old  translators,  partly  by  the  charm 
of  time  and  association,  that  beauty  which  makes  it  an 
imperishable  monument  of  our  literature,  does  not  make 
it,  for  us,  a  more  but  rather  a  less  adequate  medium. 

59 


6o      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

The  Bible  is  a  supremely  actual  book,  written  in  its 
every  part  in  the  actual  speech  of  its  own  time  and  coun- 
try. It  has  in  every  age  demanded,  and  has  always 
gained  by,  being  translated  into  the  language  of  actual 
life. 

Among  the  principles  that  will  guide  any  such  un- 
dertaking are  three,  which  with  many  imperfections 
have  been  kept  in  mind  in  the  present  version  of 
Genesis.  First  and  most  important  has  been  considered 
the  getting  and  expressing  of  the  meaning  of  the  original 
Hebrew,  without  addition  or  subtraction,  as  far  as  the 
exigencies  of  transference  from  one  language  to  an- 
other and  the  translator's  skill  make  possible.  No  effort 
has  been  made  either  to  agree  or  to  disagree  with  any 
previous  translation ;  but  the  reader  who  cares  to  make 
comparisons  will  discover  not  a  few  passages  where  it 
has  seemed  possible  to  come  nearer  the  exact  sense  and 
implication  of  the  original  than  does  the  Authorized  or 
the  Revised  Version,  as  well  as  a  smaller  number  where 
an  altogether  different  interpretation  has  been  preferred 
for  a  phrase  or  sentence.  It  must  always  be  remem- 
bered, however,  that  even  the  Authorized  Version  does, 
on  the  whole,  and  with  some  notable  exceptions,  furnish 
an  extremely   faithful  and   correct  translation. 

The  translator  must,  moreover,  translate,  not  only  out 
of  one  language,  but  into  another.  In  turning  Genesis 
into  modern  English  the  attempt  has  been  made  to  find 
in  each  case  the  most  natural  current  diction  and  idiom 
for  the  thought  conveyed  by  the  Hebrew,  excluding 
equally  what  has  passed  out  of  and  what  has  not  yet 
come  into  reputable  English  usage.  '  In  the  form  as  well 
all  the  devices  for  increasing  clearness  and  effectiveness 
have  been  deemed  in  place,  that  would  be  used  by  a 
modern  bookmaker  in  editing  a  piece  of  modern  literature. 
Accordingly  the  mechanical  chapter  and  verse  division, 
which  is  no  part  of  the  original,  and  which  impedes  no 


PREFACE  TO  THE  TRANSLATION      6i 

little  an  appreciation  of  its  real  structure,  has  been  dis- 
carded, although  the  numbers  have  been  retained,  as  in- 
conspicuously as  possible,  for  the  sake  of  reference ;  and 
paragraphs,  both  larger  and  smaller,  quotation  marks, 
and  other  forms  of  modern  punctuation  have  been  freely 
employed.  Divisions  into  sections  and  subsections  have 
been  made  to  confonn  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  actual 
structure  of  the  original  book. 

The  third  principle  v^hich  has  been  kept  in  mind  is  that 
of  fitness, — of  suiting  the  English  in  its  style  and  diction 
to  the  varying  character  and  circumstances  of  the  orig- 
inal. Genesis  contains,  for  example,  two  or  three  short 
prayers  and  four  or  five  inserted  poems.  Modern  usage 
employs  in  prayer  the  ''  religious  dialect "  of  English,  the 
peculiarities  of  which  have  been  of  course  borrowed 
from  the  sixteenth  century  English  of  the  Authorized 
Version ;  hence  in  translating  the  prayers  the  older  forms 
have  been  largely  retained.  In  the  poems,  archaisms  to 
a  less  extent,  and  a  more  heightened  and  imaginative 
diction,  are  equally  in  accordance  with  modern  usage. 
But  Genesis  as  a  whole  consists  of  narrative,  written  in 
the  simplest  Hebrew  style.  As  literature  its  supreme 
virtue  is  its  naturalness.  Like  the  narrative  of  the 
Gospels,  which  it  notably  resembles,  it  attains  that  last 
excellence  of  style,  to  seem  styleless.  As  in  the  story 
of  the  Teacher  who  walked  with  common  men  and  talked 
in  the  common  idiom  of  the  countryside,  so  in  this  his- 
tory of  the  childhood  of  the  race  and  its  first  commun- 
ings with  its  Friend,  we  find  a  quality  of  utter  sincerity 
which  surpasses  the  most  elaborate  art.  It  is  this  quality 
which  the  Shakespearian  English  of  the  old  version,  by 
reason  of  its  very  excellencies,  fails  most  to  convey  to 
readers  of  the  twentieth  century.  The  modern  trans- 
lator can  hope  to  approach  it  only  by  using  that  English 
most  natural  to  him  and  most  unaffectedly  current  in 
daily  use. 


62      AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

It  remains  to  call  attention  to  a  few  minor  details. 
Italics  are  used,  not  as  in  the  Authorized  Version  to 
mark  supplied  words,  but  as  in  modern  English  to  in- 
dicate special  emphasis.  They  have  been  employed 
rarely,  and  only  as  one  of  the  ways  of  rendering  a 
peculiar  Hebrew  idiom  for  intensifying  the  force  of  a 
word, — its  repetition  in  what  the  grammars  call  the  abso- 
lute infinitive.  Proper  names,  where  their  significance 
is  alluded  to  in  the  original,  have  their  English  equiva- 
lents appended.  These  as  well  as  all  other  words  in- 
serted not  belonging  strictly  to  the  translation  have  been 
put  in  brackets.  Words  at  the  top  of  the  page  are  also 
no  part  of  the  translation.  At  the  end  of  each  main 
section  come  the  notes  on  that  section,  so  headed.  The 
reader  can  thus  always  see  what  is  and  what  is  not 
strictly  translation  of  the  sacred  text. 

The  reader  who  wishes  to  understand  Genesis,  or  to 
get  such  help  as  this  work  can  give,  is  strongly  urged 
to  read  the  whole  translation,  or  at  least  each  section  of 
it,  without  stopping. 


SECTION   I 

1.  1  ORIGINALLY  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth. 

2  Now  the  earth  was  chaos  and  emptiness,  with  dark- 
ness over  the  deep  and  God's  breath  hovering  over  the 
waters ;  ^  then  God  said, 

"  Let  there  be  light  " ; 
and  there  was  Hght.  ^  God  saw  that  the  light  was  good ; 
and  God  separated  between  the  light  and  the  darkness ; 
^  and  God  called  the  light  Day,  and  the  darkness  he  called 
Night.  So  there  was  an  evening  and  there  was  a  morn- 
ing, one  day. 

^  God  said, 

"  Let  there  be  an  expanse  in  the  midst  of  the 
waters,  and  let  it  be  to  separate  between  water  and 
water." 
'^  Then  God  made  the  expanse,  and  separated  between  the 
water  that  was  underneath  the  expanse  and  the  water 
that  was  above  the  expanse;  and  so  it  was.  ^  God  called 
the  expanse  Sky.  So  there  was  an  evening  and  there 
was  a  morning,  a  second  day. 

^  God  said, 

"  Let  the  waters  under  the  sky  be  gathered  to- 
gether to  one  place,  and  let  the  dry  land  appear," 
and  so  it  was.     ^^  God  called  the  dry  land  Land,  and  the 
gathering  of  waters  he  called  Seas;  and  God  saw  that  it 
was  good.     11  God  said  also, 

''  Let    the    land    grow    vegetation, — the    different 
63 


64  THE   SEVEN    DAYS 

kinds  of  seed-bearing  herbs  on  the  land  and  of 
fruit-trees  bearing  seed  in  the  fruit," 
and  so  it  was.  ^^  'p^g  ig^^d  brought  forth  vegetation,  the 
different  kinds  of  seed-bearing  herbs  and  the  different 
kinds  of  trees  bearing  seed  in  the  fruit ;  and  God  saw  that 
it  was  good.  ^^  So  there  was  an  evening  and  there  was 
a  morning,  a  third  day. 

14  God  said, 

"  Let  there  be  Hghts  in  the  expanse  of  the  sky  to 
separate  between  the  day  and  the  night,  and  let 
them  be  signs,  and  be  for  seasons  and  for  days  and 
years,  ^^  and  let  them  be  lights  in  the  expanse  of 
the  sky  to  give  light  on  the  earth," 
and  so  it  was.     ^^  God  made  the  two  great  lights,  the 
larger  light  to  rule  the  day  and  the  smaller  light  to  rule 
the  night,  and  the  stars ;  ^"^  and  God  put  them  in  the  ex- 
panse of  the  sky  to  give  light  on  the  earth,  ^^  and  to  rule 
over  the  day  and  over  the  night,  and  to  separate  between 
the  light  and  the  darkness ;  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good. 
19  So  there  was  an  evening  and  there  was  a  morning,  a 
fourth  day. 

2<^  God  said, 

"  Let  the  water  abound  with  swarms  of  living 
creatures,  and  over  the  land  along  the  expanse  of 
the  sky  let  birds  fly." 
^1  So  God  created  the  great  monsters  and  all  the  kinds 
of  reptile  living  creatures  with  which  the  water  abounded, 
and  all  kinds  of  winged  birds ;  and  God  saw  that  it  was 
good.     22  Then  God  blessed  them,  and  said, 

"  Be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  fill  the  water  in  the 
seas,  and  let  the  birds  multiply  in  the  land." 
23  So  there  was  an  evening  and  there  was  a  morning,  a 
fifth  day. 


SECTION    I    (1. 1-2.3)  '  65 

2*  God  said, 

"  Let  the  land  bring  forth  the  different  kinds  of 

living  creatures, — the  different  kinds  of  beasts,  of 

reptiles,  and  of  wild  animals," 

and  so  it  was.     ^5  Qq^  made  the  different  kinds  of  wild 

animals,  the  different  kinds  of  beasts,  and  the  different 

kinds  of  reptiles  of  the  ground ;  and  God  saw  that  it  was 

good.      26  Qq(^  ^^{(^  also, 

"  Let  us  make  man  the  image  of  ourself,  like  us ; 
and  let  them  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the 
sea,  over  the  birds  of  the  air,  over  the  beasts,  and 
over  the  whole  land,  and  over  all  the  reptiles  that 
crawl  on  the  land." 
2*^  So  God  created  man  the  image  of  himself ;  the  image 
of  God  he  created  him.     Male  and   female  he  created 
them.     28  Then  God  blessed  them,  and  God  said  to  them, 
"  Be  fruitful  and  multiply  and  fill  the  earth,  and 
subdue  it,  and  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the 
sea,  over  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  over  all  the  ani- 
mals that  crawl  on  the  land." 
29  God  said  also, 

"  See,  I  have  given  you  all  seed-bearing  herbs  over 

the  whole  land,  and  all  seed-bearing  fruit-trees; 

they  shall  be  yours  for  food ;  ^^  and  as  for  every 

wild   animal,   every   bird   of   the   air,    and    every 

reptile  of  the  land, — which  are  all  of  them  living 

creatures, — all    green    herbs    shall    be   theirs    for 

food," 

and  so  it  was.     ^^  God  saw  that  all  that  he  had  made 

was  indeed  very  good.     So  there  was  an  evening  and 

there  was  a  morning,  the  sixth  day. 

2.  ^  The  heavens  and  the  earth  were  finished  and 
all  their  army.  2  Qn  the  seventh  day  God  finished 
his  work  that  he  made,  and  on  the  seventh  day  he  ceased 
from  all  his  work  that  he  made.     ^  So  God  blessed  the 


66  THE    SEVEN    DAYS 

seventh  day  and  made  it  holy,  because  in  it  he  ceased 
from  all  his  work  that  God  created  and  made. 


NOTES  TO  SECTION  i 

Text. — I.I,  Originally.  The  A.  V.  ''in  the  beg:in- 
ning "  has  "  the "  supplied  by  the  translators.  The 
phrase  does  not  mean  at  a  date,  but  in  the  matter  of 
origin;  the  sentence  answers  the  question  how  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  originated,  i.i,  The  Heavens 
AND  THE  Earth.  The  word  here  translated  "  heavens  " 
is  also  the  common  Hebrew  word  for  "  sky  " ;  so  the 
word  translated  "  earth  "  is  also  the  common  word  for 
"  land  "  as  over  against  the  sea,  or  for  "  land  "  in  the 
sense  of  a  specific  territory,  a  country.  We  must  guard 
against  supposing  that  man  at  the  beginning  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  same  conception  of  the  heavens  as  the 
modern  astronomer,  or  of  the  same  conception  of  the 
earth  as  the  modern  geographer.  In  the  A.  V.,  however, 
where  these  words  are  used  throughout,  the  reader  is 
sure  to  read  into  "  heavens  "  either  the  modern  as- 
tronomical conception  or  our  other  modern  use  of  the 
word  as  a  name  for  God's  special  dwelling-place,  and  into 
"  earth  "  an  implication  of  universality  which  we  have 
even  less  right  to  force  upon  the  Hebrew.  Consequently 
in  this  version  the  words  have  usually  been  rendered 
"  sky  "  and  "  land  "  or  "  country  "  respectively.  Here, 
however,  as  also  in  2.1,  and  2.4,  where  the  two  words  to- 
gether evidently  stand  for  "  the  universe,"  the  terms 
"  heavens  and  earth  "  have  been  retained ;  Adam's  uni- 
verse, though  in  a  sense  smaller  than  ours,  was  still  the 
universe.  The  term  "  heavens  "  is  kept  also  in  a  few 
other  passages  (19.24;  1.17;  22.11,  15;  28.12)  where  the 
sky  is  spoken  of  as  God's  dwelling  place ;  and  after  the 
dispersion  from  Babel,  when  a  "  world-view  "  may  be 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    i 

supposed  to  have  arisen,  the  translation  "  world  "  has 
sometimes  (10.8,  32;  11. i,  8,  9;  12.3;  22.18;  41-57) 
seemed  the  best  for  the  A.  V.  "  earth."  But  in  the 
earher  chapters  we  shall  certainly  orain  by  not  pressing 
the  words  for  a  larger  meaning  than  Adam  or  Noah 
could  have  conceived.  1.2,  Breath.  The  Hebrew  word 
may  mean  breath,  wind,  spirit,  or  Spirit ;  which  the 
translation  should  be  is  a  question  of  interpretation. 
1.2,  Waters.  The  Hebrew  does  not  distinguish  between 
water  and  waters,  i.ii,  12,  21,  24,  25,  Kinds  of. 
The  meaning  is  not  according  to  type  (as  the  A.  V. 
"after  .  .  .  kind"  suggests),  but  in  variety.  Verse  11 
says  that  God  made  all  varieties  or  kinds  of  herbs  and 
trees;  v.  21  that  he  made  all  sorts  of  water-animals  and 
air-animals;  and  v.  25  that  he  made  all  kinds  of  land- 
animals.  1.20,  Living  creature.  Hebrew  uses  three 
words  very  frequently  in  connection  with  life  and  living 
things,  no  one  of  which,  unfortunately,  has  an  exact 
equivalent  in  English.  One  of  them,  the  adjective  hai, 
usually  translated  "  living  "  in  the  A.  V.,  with  its  cognate 
words,  is  the  term  for  that  sort  of  life  possessed  in  com- 
mon by  God,  men,  and  animals,  but  not  by  plants. 
Hence  our  w^ord  *'  living  "  is  evidently  too  broad  ;  what 
is  meant  is  probably  conscious  life.  The  second  Hebrew 
word,  nephesh,  translated  by  the  A.  V.  usually  "  soul," 
is  the  name  for  that  life  which  is  shared  by  men  and 
animals,  but  is  never  applied  to  God  on  the  one  hand  or 
to  plants  on  the  other.  It  also  points  to  an  individual 
rather  than  an  abstract  life.  For  this  the  English 
"  soul,"  as  used  to-day,  is  manifestly  inadequate.  In  this 
passage  we  have  the  two  words  combined  ;  the  transla- 
tion adopted,  "  living  creature,"  has  in  English  about 
the  same  range  as  the  Hebrew,  but  renders  very  im- 
perfectly the  implication  of  the  original.  "  Conscious 
organism,"  were  it  not  stilted,  would  perhaps  be  a  closer 
equivalent.     The    third    Hebrew    word,    hasar,    A.    V. 


68  THE  SEVEN   DAYS 

"  flesh,"  agrees  with  the  second  in  being  applicable  to 
men  and  animals,  not  to  God  or  to  plants,  but  differs 
from  it  by  pointing  to  the  physical  organism  as  endued 
with  life  rather  than  to  the  informing  principle  itself. 
The  English  word  ''  flesh,"  which  was  taken  by  the  six- 
teenth century  translators  to  render  the  Hebrew  word  in 
all  its  uses,  has  now  in  many  of  them  become  quite 
archaic ;  but  nothing  has  arisen  to  take  its  place.  Hence 
the  reader  who  compares  this  with  the  old  version  will 
note  that  various  devices  have  been  employed :  "  flesh  and 
blood "  where  it  is  spoken  of  as  the  basis  of  kinship 
(2.24;  29.14);  "animal"  where  the  contrast  between 
the  human  and  divine  in  man's  nature  is  in  mind  (6.3)  ; 
"all  flesh"  of  the  A.  V.  is  rendered  by  "all  life"  or 
"all  forms  of  life"  (6.12,  13,  17,  etc.).  The  first  and 
third  Hebrew  terms,  which  are  frequently  used  together 
in  the  account  of  the  Deluge  (A.  V.  "  every  living  thing 
of  all  flesh  ")  have  been  rendered  "  all  forms  of  animal 
life."  1.26,  Us — OURSELF.  The  plurals  "us"  and 
"  our  "  should  not  be  pressed ;  the  word  for  God,  Elohim, 
is  in  form  what  the  grammars  call  plural,  yet  it  des- 
ignates one  object,  as  is  shown  by  its  taking  its  verb 
in  the  singular,  it  being  a  rule  in  Hebrew  as  in  English 
that  the  verb  must  agree  with  its  subject  in  number.  The 
plural  form  of  the  pronouns,  accordingly,  may  not  des- 
ignate plurality  any  more  than  our  you,  a  plural  in  form, 
or  our  editorial  we.  The  modern  English  ourself,  which 
is  plural  and  singular  at  the  same  time,  seems  to  repre- 
sent the  meaning  exactly.  1.30,  Which  are  all  of 
THEM  LIVING  CREATURES.  Literally,  "  in  which  is  a  liv- 
ing creature."  Compare  such  English  expressions  as 
"  there  is  a  good  animal  in  that  horse,"  "  a  wretch  in 
whom  there  is  yet  a  man,"  for  the  idiomatic  use  of  in 
here,  a  use  common  in  Hebrew.  In  order  to  make  evi- 
dent to  the  English  reader  that  the  relative  "  which  " 
refers  to  all  three  classes  of  animals  mentioned,  "  all  of 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    i  69 

them  "  has  been  inserted  2.3,  Created  and  made  stands 
for  a  Hebrew  not  easy  to  render;  "created  to  make" 
would  seem  to  be  more  Hteral.  The  meaning  is  that 
create  is  not  all  that  could  be  said,  but  that  what  was 
creating  passed  on  into  making. 

Origin. — This  first  section  must  be  referred  to  Adam 
as  the  recipient  and  reporter  of  it ;  but  the  manner  of  its 
communication  from  God  to  Adam  lies  beyond  our  sort 
of  experience.  We  can  only  say  that  God  taught  it  to 
him,  or  to  him  and  his  wife.  For  if  the  next  section  of 
Genesis  is  correct  history,  as  it  is  to  be  regarded,  then 
Adam  received  some  divine  teaching.  Even  according 
to  this  section  he  received  some  divine  teaching,  some 
revelation,  prior  to  those  commands  given  him  in  the 
next  section ;  for  the  instructions  of  the  next  section  pre- 
suppose that  man  knew  what  is  taught  in  the  first  section. 
The  first  section,  then,  is  the  permanent  form  in  which 
Adam  and  Eve  told  their  children  about  the  origin  of 
themselves  and  their  world,  a  teaching  which  they  re- 
ceived somehow  from  God  himself. 

Form. — We  may  neither  affirm  nor  deny  that  this 
section  is  a  poem.  Unique  in  that  it  describes  what  lay, 
for  the  most  part,  beyond  Adam's  observation,  and  be- 
yond his  sort  of  experience,  it  is  necessarily  somewhat 
like  a  poem ;  but  it  is  emphatically  fact,  not  fiction.  It 
is  not  strictly  in  the  Hebrew  form  of  poetry,  though 
somewhat  approaching  that  form.  Its  theme  is  the  ori- 
gin of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  things  in  them ; 
that  is,  the  origin  of  Adam's  world. 

Content. — The  section  falls  into  seven  parts,  one  for 
each  of  the  seven  days,  besides  the  initial  statement. 

To  Adam  and  Eve  asking  how  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  their  expression  for  universe,  came  to  be,  their 
Great  Friend  answered  first  of  all  that  he  created  them, 
not  made,  but  created,  or,  as  nearly  as  the  Hebrew  can 
say,  exnihilated. 


70  THE  SEVEN  DAYS 

Then  during  a  time  of  darkness  called  evening,  in 
contrast  with  the  time  that  followed  called  morning, 
God's  breath  moved  upon  the  uninhabited  waters,  till  at 
his  command  light  came,  and  the  succession  of  day  and 
night.     The  two  times  were  one  Day. 

If  man  had  been  there  to  see,  he  would  have  beheld 
but  a  confused  watery  mass.  At  the  word  of  God  there 
came  a  sky  in  the  midst  of  this  watery  mass.  The  time 
before  sky  was  evening,  and  the  time  of  sky  was  morn- 
ing, a  second  Day. 

If  man  had  been  there  he  yet  would  have  seen  no 
land.  The  word  of  God  comes  again ;  and  the  land 
rises  to  view,  the  waters  running  together  to  one  place, — 
a  feature  in  the  narration  which  suggests  that  Adam 
lived  by  the  ocean.  Another  word  of  God,  and  out  of 
the  land  grows  up  every  sort  of  vegetation,  both  herbs 
and  trees,  all  having  the  power  of  reproduction.  The 
time  of  no  land  was  evening;  the  time  of  land,  and 
vegetation  upon  it,  was  morning,  a  third  Day. 

The  sky  at  the  word  of  God  has  in  it  a  large  light 
that  shines  by  day,  and  a  smaller  light  that  shines  by 
night,  and  also  stars ;  and  the  movements  of  these  lights, 
and  their  appearances  and  disappearances,  are  to  serve 
as  signs  for  seasons,  days,  and  years.  The  time  without 
these  lights  was  evening,  and  the  time  with  them  was 
morning,  a  fourth  Day. 

At  the  production  of  the  animals  of  water  and  air 
occurs,  for  the  first  time  since  the  origin  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  the  word  create.  Emphasis  is  laid  upon 
their  many  kinds,  and  all  are  referred  to  God  as  their 
creator  and  maker.  The  time  before  animal  life  was 
evening,  and  the  time  of  fishes  and  birds  was  morning, 
a  fifth  Day. 

Then  come  land  animals  and  man,  all,  like  all  other 
things,  at  a  word  of  God.  But  at  man  occurs  for  the 
third  time  the  word  create;  and  here  there  is  also  a  word 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    i  71 

of  deliberation.  Man  is  made  in  the  image,  that  is,  Hke- 
ness,  of  God.  To  the  animals  it  was  said  that  they 
should  multiply;  to  man  this  command  is  given  along 
with  the  grant  of  dominion  over  all  the  earth  and  over 
the  animals,  and  of  all  vegetation  for  food.  The  time 
before  land  animals  was  evening,  and  the  time  of 
land  animals  (including  man)  was  morning,  the  sixth 
Day. 

The  cessation  of  God  from  his  work  makes  holy  the 
seventh  Day. 

Teachings. — The  separation  of  day  and  night  is  put 
both  in  the  first  Day  and  in  the  fourth  Day,  implying  that 
the  Days  overlapped ;  hence  they  were  not  represented  to 
Adam  as  definite  periods  of  time,  each  ending  before  the 
next  began. 

Again,  inside  the  first  Day  there  was  the  succession 
of  day  and  night,  showing  that  a  part  of  a  Day  covered 
a  day  and  a  night  at  least.  The  third  Day  was  long 
enough  for  trees  to  grow  up  and  reproduce  during  it; 
and  the  sixth,  as  well  as  the  fifth,  for  animals  to  become 
grown  and  to  reproduce  during  it.  And  on  the  sixth 
Day,  by  reference  to  the  next  section,  we  see  that  Adam 
lived  long  enough  to  become  acquainted  with  the  animals 
before  Eve  was  formed,  and  yet  she  was  formed  on  the 
sixth  Day.  Adam,  who  lived  for  many  days  within  the 
sixth  Day,  never  asked  whether  his  Teacher  meant  for 
him  to  understand  that  each  of  the  six  Days  was  a  period 
of  twenty-four  hours'  time,  and  that  the  trees  he  saw 
were  only  three  days  old,  and  the  horses  and  sheep  only 
a  few  hours  old. 

There  was  origin  without  derivation  at  first,  again  at 
the  first  introduction  of  animal  life,  and  again  at  the  in- 
troduction of  man,  although  not  all  derivation  is  elim- 
inated in  the  last  two  cases :  and  there  may  have  been 
other  like  originations  not  mentioned.  But  the  impres- 
sion is  distinctly  given  that  God  proceeded  in  an  orderly 


^2  THE    SEVEN   DAYS 

and  gradual  way,  and,  with  exceptions,  derived  what 
was  not  out  of  what  already  was. 

The  failure  to  mention  marine  vegetation  or  angels 
can  be  accounted  for  only  by  supposing  that  this  teach- 
ing was  given  to  man  when  he  was  not  yet  in  possession 
of  the  idea  of  the  existence  of  either.  The  religious 
truth,  that  God  is  the  Creator  and  Maker  of  all  things, 
was  more  effectually  impressed  than  it  would  have  been 
by  raising  questions  in  his  mind  about  unimagined  be- 
ings. 

Adam  and  Eve  thus  began  their  career  with  this 
revelation  of  their  Friend  as  Creator  and  Lord,  with  a 
holy  seventh  day  of  cessation  from  labor,  with  a  com- 
mission to  multiply  and  rule,  and  with  a  grant  of  vegeta- 
tion as  food. 

Difficidties. — Any  question  whether  the  statements 
made  in  this  section  contradict  statements  based  on  geol- 
ogy and  astronomy  is  postponed  till  we  came  to  consider 
all  the  difficulties,  and  objections  pertaining  to  the  book 
together.  But  here  it  is  well  to  remark  that  we  must  as- 
certain the  meaning  of  what  is  in  this  section  without 
any  attention  to  what  we  know  of  geology  and  astronomy. 
The  account  was  given  to  man  when  he  knew  no  science 
of  geology  or  astronomy,  and  was  intelligible  to  him; 
and  we  must  interpret  it  as  given  to  him.  And  the  inter- 
preter as  such  is  indifferent  to  the  appearance  of  con- 
tradictions between  this  account  and  the  doctrines  of 
science ;  his  only  concern  is  to  determine  what  this  ac- 
count means. 


SECTION  2 

2.      ■*  THESE  ARE  THE  DESCENDANTS  OF  THE  HEAVENS  AND 
THE  EARTH  AFTER  THEIR  CREATION. 

At  the  time  Jehovah  God  made  earth  and  heaven,^ 
when  there  was  no  field-shrub  yet  in  the  land  and  no 
field-herb  bad^yet  sprung  up,  for  Jehovah  God  had  not 
rained  on  the  land,  there  being  no  man  to  cultivate  the 
Ground,  ^  mist  began  to  rise  over  the  land  and  water 
all  the  surface  of  the  Ground.  '^  Then  Jehovah  God 
formed  the  man  dust  from  the  Ground  and  put  into  him 
the  breath  of  life,  and  the  man  became  a  living  creature. 

^  Jehovah  God  also  planted  a  garden  in  Eden  on  the 
east,  and  placed  there  the  man  that  he  had  formed.  ^  Out 
of  the  Ground  Jehovah  God  made  to  spring  up  every 
tree  desirable  to  see  and  good  for  food,  and  the  tree  of 
life  within  the  garden,  and  the  tree  of  discrimination. — 
1^  Now  a  river  comes  forth  from  Eden  to  water  the 
garden,  but  divides  above  into  four  tributaries,  ^^  the 
name  of  the  first  of  which  is  Pishon  (it  is  the  one  that 
goes  around  the  whole  land  of  Havilah,  where  there  is 
gold, — 12  and  the  gold  of  that  land  is  good, — there  is 
bdellium  and  onyx  stone),  ^^  and  the  name  of  the  second 
river  is  Gihon  (it  is  the  one  that  goes  around  the  whole 
land  of  Gush),  ^^  and  the  name  of  the  third  river  is 
Tigris  (it  is  the  one  that  runs  east  of  Asshur),  and  the 
fourth  river  is  the  Euphrates. — ^^  Jehovah  God  took  the 
man,  and  settled  him  in  the  garden  of  Eden  to  cultivate 
it  and  to  keep  it. 

16  Now  Jehovah  God  commanded  the  man  expressly: 

"  From  any  tree  of  the  garden  you  may  eat;  ^'^  but 
from  the  tree  of  discrimination,  from  it  you  shall  not  eat ; 
for  at  the  time  you  eat  from  it  you  shall  die." 

73 


74  DESC'ND'TS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

18  Jehovah  God  said,  "  It  is  not  good  that  the  man 
should  be  alone ;  I  will  make  him  a  helper  fit  for  him." 

1^  So  Jehovah  God  formed  out  of  the  Ground  all  the 
wild  beasts  and  all  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  brought  them 
to  the  man  to  see  what  he  would  call  them ;  and  whatever 
the  man  called  any  living  creature,  that  was  its  name.  ^^ 
The  man  gave  names  to  all  the  beasts,  to  the  birds  of  the 
air,  and  to  the  wild  beasts.  But  for  the  man  no  helper 
was  found  fit  for  him.  ^i  Then  Jehovah  God  caused  a 
deep  sleep  to  fall  upon  the  man ;  and  while  he  slept,  he 
took  one  of  his  ribs,  and  closed  the  flesh  in  its  place ;  ^^ 
and  Jehovah  God  built  the  rib  which  he  had  taken  out  of 
the  man  into  a  woman,  and  brought  her  to  the  man. 
23  Then  the  man  said, 

"  This  now  is  one  of  my  bones,  and  my  own  flesh  and 
blood ;  this  shall  be  called  Woman,  because  this  has  been 
taken  out  of  man." 

2*  Therefore  a  man  shall  abandon  his  father  and  his 
mother  and  cling  to  his  wife,  and  they  shall  become  one 
flesh  and  blood. 

2^  They  were  both  naked,  the  man  and  his  wife,  and 
were  not  ashamed. 

3.     1  The  serpent,  which  was  shrewder  than  any  wild 
beast  that  Jehovah  God  made,  said  to  the  woman, 
''  Is  it  true  that  God  said, 

'  You    shall    not    eat    from    every    tree    of    the 

garden '  ?  " 

2  The  woman  answered  the  serpent,  ''  Of  the  fruit  of 

the  trees  of  the  garden  we  may  eat ;  ^  but  of  the  fruit 

of  the  tree   that  is  in   the  middle  of  the  garden,   of  it 

God  said, 

'  You  shall  not  eat  of  it,  and  you  shall  not  touch 
it,  for  fear  of  dying ! '  " 
^  "  You  will  not  die,"  replied  the  serpent  to  the  woman, 
^  ''  for  God  knows  that  at  the  time  you  eat  of  it  your 


SECTION   2     (2.4-4.26)  75 

eyes  will  be  opened,  and  you  will  be  like  gods  able  to 
discriminate." 

^  The  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was  good  for  food,  that 
it  was  a  desire  to  the  eyes,  and  that  the  tree  was  desirable 
to  make  one  intelligent ;  and  she  took  some  of  its  fruit 
and  ate  it,  and  gave  some  also  to  her  husband  with  her, 
and  he  ate  it.  '^  Then  the  eyes  of  both  of  them  were 
opened,  and  they  realized  that  they  were  naked;  and 
they  sewed  fig-leaves  together  and  made  themselves 
aprons. 

^  Now  at  the  breeze  of  the  day  they  heard  the  sound 
of  Jehovah  God  walking  in  the  garden;  and  they  hid 
themselves,  the  man  and  his  wife,  from  the  presence  of 
Jehovah  God  among  the  trees  of  the  garden.  ^  Then 
Jehovah  God  called  to  the  man  and  said  to  him, 

"  Where  are  you  ?  " 

^^  He  answered,  "  When  I  heard  the  sound  of  you  in 
the  garden,  I  was  afraid  because  I  was  naked,  and  hid 
myself." 

^^  "  Who  told  you  that  you  were  naked  ? "  he  said. 
"  The  tree  that  I  commanded  you  not  to  eat  from,  have 
you  eaten  from  it  ?  " 

12  "  The  woman  that  you  gave  to  be  with  me,"  replied 
the  man,  "  she  gave  me  from  the  tree^  and  I  ate." 

1^  Jehovah  God  said  to  the  woman,  ''  What  is  this  you 
have  done?  " 

"  The  serpent  deceived  me  utterly,"  answered  the 
woman,  "  and  I  ate." 

1^  Jehovah  God  said  to  the  serpent,  "  Because  you 
have  done  this,  you  are  cursed,  beyond  any  beast  and  be- 
yond any  wild  beast,  to  go  on  your  belly  and  eat  dust  all 
your  life  long;  ^^  and  enmity  I  will  put  between  you  and 
the  woman  and  between  your  offspring  and  her  offspring, 
— it  shall  bruise  you  in  the  head  and  you  shall  bruise  it 
in  the  heel." 


^6  DESC'ND^TS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

1^  To  the  woman  he  said,  "  I  will  make  exceedingly 
great  your  pain  of  childbearing,  and  in  painful  labor  you 
shall  give  birth  to  children ;  and  your  will  shall  be  sub- 
ject to  your  husband's,  and  he  shall  rule  over  you." 

1'^  To  the  man  he  said,  "  Because  you  have  complied 
with  the  will  of  your  wife  and  eaten  from  the  tree  of 
which  I  commanded  you  expressly,  *  You  shall  not  eat 
from  it,'  on  your  account  the  Ground  is  cursed :  you  shall 
eat  from  it  in  pain  all  your  life  long;  ^^  it  shall  make 
thorns  and  thistles  spring  up  for  you,  and  you  shall  eat 
field-herbs ;  ^^  in  the  sweat  of  your  face  you  shall  eat 
food  until  you  return  to  the  Ground.  For  out  of  it  you 
were  taken;  for  dust  you  are,  and  to  dust  you  shall  re- 
turn." 

20  The  man  named  his  wife  Eve  [Living],  because  she 
was  the  mother  of  all  that  live. 

2^  Jehovah  God  made  for  the  man  and  for  his  wife 
clothes  of  skin,  and  clothed  them. 

22  Jehovah  God  said,  "  See,  the  man  has  become  like 
one  of  us,  in  being  able  to  discriminate;  now,  for  fear 
that  he  may  put  out  his  hand  and  take  also  of  the  tree 
of  life  and  eat,  and  live  forever," — 23  Jehovah  God  ex- 
pelled him  from  the  garden  of  Eden,  to  cultivate  the 
Ground  that  he  was  taken  from.  24  jjg  drove  the  man 
out,  and  stationed  before  the  garden  of  Eden  the 
cherubim  and  the  flaming  sword  that  turned  about,  to 
guard  the  way  to  the  tree  of  life. 


4.  1  The  man  had  intercourse  with  Eve  his  wife,  and 
she  conceived ;  and  she  gave  birth  to  Cain,  and  said, 

"  I  have  gotten  a  man,  the  Jehovah  [the  One-that- Shall- 
Be]." 


SECTION   2    (24-4.26)  ^y 

2  Again,  she  gave  birth  to  his  brother  Abel.  Abel  be- 
came a  shepherd,  while  Cain  became  a  cultivator  of  the 
Ground.  ^  In  due  time  it  came  about  that  Cain  brought 
some  of  the  fruit  of  the  Ground  as  a  present  to  Jehovah, 
*  while  Abel  also  brought  some  of  the  firstborn  of  his 
sheep  and  goats  and  of  their  fat.  Jehovah  looked  at 
Abel  and  at  his  present,  ^  but  he  would  not  look  at  Cain 
or  at  his  present;  and  Cain  was  very  angry,  and  his 
face  was  downcast.     ^  Jehovah  said  to  Cain, 

"  Why  are  you  angry,  and  why  is  your  face  downcast? 
"^  When  you  do  well,  is  it  not  uplifted?  and  when  not 
well, — there  at  the  door  lies  an  offering  for  the  failure. 
His  [your  brother's]  will  shall  be  subject  to  yours,  and 
you  shall  rule  over  him." 

^  Cain  told  Abel  his  brother;  and  when  they  were  in 
the  open  country,  it  came  about  that  Cain  made  an  assault 
upon  his  brother  Abel,  and  killed  him. 

9  Jehovah  said  to  Cain,  "  Where  is  your  brother  Abel  ?  " 
"  I  do  not  know,"  he  answered ;  "  am  I  my  brother's 

guardian  ?  " 

10  "  What  have  you  done  ?  "  he  said.  "  The  voice  of 
your  brother's  blood, — it  is  crying  to  me  from  the 
Ground.  ^^  Now,  you  are  cursed  from  the  Ground 
that  has  opened  her  mouth  to  receive  your  brother's 
blood  from  your  hand.  ^^  If  you  cultivate  the 
Ground,  she  shall  no  more  give  her  strength  to  you. 
An  exile  and  a  fugitive  you  shall  be  in  the  land." 

13  "  My  punishment  is  too  great  to  bear,"  Cain  replied 
to  Jehovah.  ^^  "  See,  you  have  driven  me  out  to-day 
from  the  presence  of  the  Ground,  and  from  your  pres- 
ence I  shall  be  hid.  I  shall  be  an  exile  and  a  fugitive 
in  the  land ;  and  it  will  turn  out  that,  if  any  one  finds  me, 
he  will  kill  me." 

1^  "  No,"  Jehovah  said  to  him,  "  but  if  any  one  kills 
Cain,  he  shall  receive  sevenfold  retribution." 


78  DESC'NDTS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

So  Jehovah  set  up  a  sign  for  Cain,  directing  that  no 
one  who  found  him  should  strike  him. 

1^  Cain  went  out  from  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  and 
settled  in  a  land  of  refuge  on  the  east  of  Eden.  ^^  Cain 
had  intercourse  with  his  wife,  and  she  conceived ;  and 
she  bore  Enoch ;  and  he  was  building  a  town,  and  named 
the  town  after  his  son  Enoch.  ^^  There  was  born  to 
Enoch  Irad;  and  Irad  became  the  father  of  Mehujael; 
and  Mehijael  became  the  father  of  Methusael ;  and 
Methusael  became  the  father  of  Lamech.  ^^  Lamech 
married  two  wives,  the  name  of  one  being  Adah,  and  the 
name  of  the  other  Sillah.  20  Adah  bore  Jabal.  He  was 
the  progenitor  of  those  who  live  in  tents  and  have  live 
stock.  21  'pi^e  name  of  his  brother  was  Jubal.  He  was 
the  progenitor  of  all  players  on  harps  and  wind  instru- 
ments. 22  Sillah,  too,  bore  Tubal-Cain,  who  was  the 
maker  of  all  sorts  of  edged  tools  of  brass  and  iron.  The 
sister  of  Tubal-Cain  was  Naamah.  ^3  Lamech  said  to 
his  wives : 

"  Adah  and  Sillah,  hear  ye  my  voice. 
Ye  wives  of  Lamech,  give  ear  to  my  saying. 

/ 
Eor  I  have  slain  a  man  for  wounding  me. 
And  a  child  for  scarring  me. 

24  If  Cain  shall  have  sevenfold  vengeance, 
Then  Lamech  seventy  and  seven." 

25  Adam  had  intercourse  with  his  wife  again,  and  she 
bore  a  son,  and  named  him  Seth  [Appointed],  because 
"  God  has  appointed  me  another  offspring  in  place  of 
Abel,  because  Cain  killed  him."  26  'Pq  gg^i^  ^\^q  ^^^s 
born  a  son,  whom  he  named  Enosh.     Then  a  beginning 


NOTES    TO    SECTION   2  79 

was   made   of  calling   on   God   in   prayer  by  the   name 
Jehovah   [the  One-that-Shall-Be]. 


NOTES  TO  SECTION  2 

Text. — 2.5,  6,  Land  .  .  Ground.  Note  that  a  dis- 
tinction is  made  between  these  two  terms,  here  and  in 
4.12,14, — four  times  in  all.  The  word  translated 
"land  "  is  the  same  as  that  rendered  "  earth  "  in  i.i  (see 
Note)  ;  as  in  the  first  section,  so  here,  it  signifies  the 
whole  indefinite  area  then  known  to  man.  We  find  it  in 
this  section  also  in  the  sense  of  a  specific  land,  or  country 
(2. II,  12,  13;  4.16).  The  word  translated  "Ground," 
on  the  other  hand,  seems  always  in  this  section  to  be 
used  in  a  quasi-proper  sense,  applying  to  the  particular 
part  of  the  "  land  "  especially  associated  with  man  ;  in 
this  section  (found,  besides  the  four  passages  cited 
above,  in  2.9,  19;  3.17,  19,  23;  4.2,  3,  10,  11)  it  is  prac- 
tically equivalent  to  the  Land  of  Eden.  2.7,  Put  into 
HIM  THE  BREATH  OF  LIFE.  Literally,  "  caused  him  to 
breathe  in  his  nostrils  (or,  blew  into  his  nostrils)  breath 
of  Hfe."  2.9,  The  tree  of  discrimination.  The  A.  V. 
"  knowing  good  and  evil  "  is  apt  to  mislead  in  two  ways : 
the  phrase  does  not  mean  knowing  about,  but  knowing 
as  by  experience,  knowing  so  as  to  discriminate  the  two 
from  each  other ;  and  good  and  evil  are  here  used  in  the 
most  comprehensive  sense,  and  not  limited  to  the  sense 
of  ethical  or  moral  right  and  wrong.  The  knowledge 
that  enables  one  to  tell  good  from  bad  in  any  field, 
"worldly  wisdom,"  is  what  the  Hebrew  signifies;  the 
distinction  between  moral  evil  and  other  evil  is  not  yet 
made.  It  is,  indeed,  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  this  ac- 
count of  the  beginning  of  human  sin  (2.4-3.24)  there 
occurs  no  word  for  sin,  and  no  word  of  strictly  ethical 


8o  DESC'ND'TS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

significance  at  all.  If  the  story  had  been  first  com- 
posed late  in  Hebrew  history,  when,  as  we  find  in  the 
prophetic  literature,  over  fifty  synonoyms  for  sin  were  in 
use,  would  it  have  been  written  as  it  is? 

Throughout  Genesis,  in  fact,  there  is  a  conspicuously 
sparing  use  of  ethical  terms.  Seven  words  more  or 
less  synonymous  with  sin  are  all  that  is  found  in  the 
book ;  and  this  is  perhaps  as  good  a  place  as  any  to  bring 
them  together  and  distinguish  their  uses.  First  to  occur 
and  oftenest  used  is  the  word  translated  "  sin  "  in  the 
A.  V.  (used  first  in  4.7  in  connection  with  Cain,  and 
thirteen  times  later  in  the  book:  13.13;  18.20;  20.6,  9; 
31-36,  39;  39-9;  40.1;  41-9;  42.22;  43.9;  44.32;  50.17). 
It  is  a  negative  term,  meaning,  like  the  Greek  word 
usually  rendered  "  sin  "  in  the  New  Testament,  to  miss 
a  mark  aimed  at,  and  morally  to  fall  short  of  an  ideal 
that  ought  to  be  aimed  at.  Hence  I  have  rendered  it  by 
such  English  words  and  phrases  as  delinquent,  short- 
coming, falling  short  or  failing  in  duty,  rather  than  by 
the  positive  "  sin."  In  4.7  it  means  the  offering  for  such 
failure  (R.  V.  margin,  "sin-offering").  The  English 
sin  has  been  reserved  as  the  best  translation  for  the 
Hebrew  word  that  occurs  first  in  4.13,  and  twice  later 
(15.16;  44- 16;  A.  V.  "iniquity").  This  is  the  pro- 
foundest  term  found  in  Genesis,  and  the  only  one  that 
points  to  inner  sinfulness  of  character.  In  4.13,  as  also 
in  19.15,  it  is  used  in  the  transferred  sense  of  punish- 
ment for  sin.  Section  3  introduces  us  to  two  more  words : 
degenerate  (6.11,  12;  A.  V.  "corrupt"),  which  is  often 
elsewhere  (6.7,  etc.)  to  be  rendered  "  destroy,"  and  which 
signifies  sin  as  self-destructive  and  debasing  to  the  doer; 
and  outrage  (6.11 ;  also  16.5  and  49.5  A.  V.  "  violence"), 
which  is  used  especially  of  social  injustice,  grave  wrong 
done  by  man  to  man.  We  have  in  this  section  also  for 
the  first  time  the  contrasting  term  upright  (6.9. ;  also 
7.1;  18.23-28;  20.4;  and  the  cognate  words  right,  18.19, 


NOTES   TO    SECTION   2  81 

he  upright,  38.26,  justify,  44.16,  and  especially  upright- 
ness, 15.6  and  30.33),  which  with  its  counterpart  zvicked 
(only  in  18.23-28)  give  us  the  most  general  terms  for 
observance  and  violation  of  moral  law.  In  26.10  punish- 
ment for  an  inconsiderate  deed,  and  42.21,  more  guilty 
than  zve  knezv  (A.  V.  "  guiltiness,  guilty  ")  we  have  an- 
other Hebrew  term,  noun  and  verb,  which  is  difficult  to 
render.  The  word  denotes  such  sinful  actions  as  are 
not,  at  the  time  of  their  being  done,  realized  by  the  doer 
in  their  full  sinfulness,  but  later  come  home  to  his  ap- 
preciation. The  last  of  the  seven  terms,  wrong  (31.36; 
50.17;  A.  V.  "  trespass  ")  is  used  both  times  in  connec- 
tion with  the  first  one,  defined  above.  It  denotes  posi- 
tive and  conscious  transgression  of  the  moral  law  or  of 
the  rights  of  another,  as  that  does  negative  shortcoming. 
It  thus  stands  also  in  contrast  to  the  term  used  in  26.10 
and  42.21. 

4.4,  Sheep  and  Goats.  For  this  the  Hebrew  has  a 
single  word,  denoting  the  class  of  animals  which  com- 
prises both  sheep  and  goats.  English  has  no  word 
exactly  translating  this  term,  which  answers  to  the  Ger- 
man "  kleinvieh."  The  translation  "  sheep  and  goats/' 
which  has  usually  been  employed,  is  sometimes  cumber- 
some and  may  be  inaccurate,  since  in  any  given  instance 
there  might  be  no  sheep,  in  another  no  goats ;  "  flock," 
which  has  seemed  better  in  some  cases,  includes  both 
kinds  but  is  a  collective  noun,  whereas  the  Hebrew  word 
is  a  "noun  of  unity,"  or  class-term,  like  "cattle."  4.18, 
Mehujael  .  .  .  Mehijael.  I  follow  the  variant 
Hebrew  spelling.  Why  it  varies  is  unknown.  Compare 
Penuel  and  Peniel  in  32.30,  31,  and  Midianites  and 
Medanites  in  37.28,  36.  4.26,  Calling  on  God  in 
prayer  by  the  name  Jehovah.  The  word  God  is 
supplied,  this  being  the  only  way  to  render  the  sense  cor- 
rectly and  in  natural  English.  Literally,  "  calling  by  the 
name  Jehovah  "  ;  cf.  21.33. 


82  DESC'NDTS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

07'igi7t. — ^Conceming  the  origin  of  this  section  we  may 
get  a  clue  in  4.26,  where  it  is  said  that  men  began  to  call 
God  by  the  name  Jehovah  about  the  time  of  the  birth  of 
Enosh.  In  2.4 — 3.24  "  Jehovah  Gk)d  "  is  used,  but  in 
4.1-26  "Jehovah"  is  used.  These  facts  suggest  that 
2.4 — 3.24  originated  before  "  Jehovah  "  came  into  this 
use,  and  that  later,  when  ''  Jehovah  "  had  come  into  this 
use,  this  name  was  inserted  in  2.4 — 3.24.  The  insertion 
may  have  taken  place  either  when  Jehovah  first  began  to 
be  thus  used  or  even  as  late  as  the  final  compilation ;  but 
in  any  case,  it  identifies  the  "  Jehovah  Elohim,"  or 
"  Jehovah  God,"  of  2.4 — 3.24  with  the  "  Elohim  "  of 
I.I — 2.3  and  with  the  "Jehovah"  of  4.1-26.  We  must 
then  take  2.4 — 3.24  as  told  by  Adam  and  Eve  to  their 
children  before  the  sin  and  banishment  of  Cain ;  but 
4.1-26,  while  some  of  its  statements  must  have  been 
derived  from  them,  did  not  take  its  full  form  till  aftei 
the  development  of  the  Cainite  civilization,  and  may 
therefore  come  from  Noah  as  its  original  composer. 

Form. — In  form  each  of  these  two  parts  is  a  prophetic 
narrative.  The  latter  includes  Lamech's  poetic  outburst 
of  murderous  passion,  as  the  former  the  seducing  state- 
ments of  the  serpent.  Neither  the  words  of  the  serpent 
nor  those  of  Lamech  are  reported  as  true,  but  the  fact 
that  they  uttered  them  was  in  each  case  a  revelatory 
fact. 

Contents  and  Doctrine. — *The  story  of  the  Garden, 
2.4 — 3.24,  may  be  thus  summarized. 

Adam  placed  in  the  Garden,  2.4-17.  We  must  be 
slow  to  give  to  such  statements  as  we  find  in  verses  5  and 
6  a  cosmic  application.  In  the  nature  of  the  case,  any 
revelation  made  to  Adam  about  the  earth  would  give  him 
information  about  it  as  he  conceived  the  earth.  The 
affirmations  of  these  verses  would  be  fully  satisfied  if 
such  were  the  facts  in  and  for  some  extent  around  the 
territory  of  Eden. 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    2  83 

Going  back  to  a  time  when  no  vegetation  and  no  rain 
were  on  the  ''  land,"  mist  rose  from  the  land  and  watered 
the  "  Ground," — that  is,  the  soil  of  Eden, — and  thus 
prepared  the  way  for  vegetation.  Going  back  also  to 
when  there  was  no  man  to  cultivate  the  soil,  Jehovah 
God  formed  the  man,  so  that  on  the  one  hand  he  was 
dust  from  the  ground,  a  progeny  of  the  earth,  and  on 
the  other  was  one  of  the  living  organisms  by  God's  in- 
breathing, and  thus  a  progeny  of  heaven.  For  him 
Jehovah  planted  a  garden  in  the  eastern  part  of  Eden,  at 
the  confluence  of  four  rivers  or  streams,  two  of  which 
are  identified  by  explanatory  notes,  possibly  inserted 
later,  with  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris.  In  this  garden  he 
placed  man  with  a  command  to  cultivate  it  and  keep  it, 
and  a  prohibition  of  eating  from  the  tree  of  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil.  So  much  Adam  knew  before  Eve 
was  made  or  they  were  taught  i.i — 2.3  in  its  final  form. 

Eve,  2.18-24.  The  man  after  full  acquaintance  with 
the  beasts  and  the  birds  found  among  them  no  helper 
suitable  for  him.  So  much  Adam  could  himself  report ; 
but  after  a  deep  sleep,  during  which  he  was  not  con- 
scious, he  found  himself  deprived  of  a  rib,  and  received 
a  wife,  being  made  to  understand  that  she  was  built  out 
of  his  rib;  and  he  gave  her  a  name  significant  of  her 
origin  from  him. 

At  this  point  a  word  of  revelation  is  introduced,  in- 
stituting marriage  (2.24).  We  are  still  in  the  sixth 
Day ;  and  in  this  Day  also  were  given  the  oracles  of 
1.28-30. 

The  Disobedience,  2.25 — 3.7.  God  has  finished  his 
work  to  his  satisfaction  (cf.  1.4,  10,  12,  18,  21,  25.  31), 
and  now  gives  himself  to  Adam  and  Eve  as  a  friend; 
and  these  three  are  happy  together.  Adam  and  Eve 
are  utterly  innocent,  naked  without  shame  before  their 
Friend.  This  was  not  the  mere  innocence  of  ignorance 
concerning  the  sexual  functions  (seeing  their  knowledge 


84  DESC'ND'TS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

of  the  animals  and  their  understanding  of  the  command 
to  multiply),  but  of  purity. 

To  Eve  came  a  being  that  was  more  subtile  than  any 
wild  animal.  He  was  classed  by  them  as  a  wild  animal ; 
and  he  is  called  in  their  account  the  serpent.  Whether 
they  gave  him  this  name  because  at  his  first  appearance 
he  looked  like  a  serpent,  or  because  afterwards  by  curse 
he  became  serpentHke  (3.14),  we  cannot  say;  but  doubt- 
less he  was  afterward  referred  to  by  them  as  the  serpent, 
as  being  the  well-known  agent  of  the  temptation.  In 
Eve's  comparative  ignorance  his  speaking  did  not  as- 
tonish her. 

First  asking  if  God  had  forbidden  them  to  eat  from 
any  tree,  and  eliciting  her  version  of  the  prohibition  of 
the  one  tree  on  the  pain  of  death,  he  boldly  denied  that 
they  would  die,  and  asserted  that  they  would  come  to 
have  knowledge  like  God.  Before  her  stood  the  facts, — 
good  food,  beauty  of  appearance,  and  an  enlightening 
quality.  In  two  points  she  was  deceived ;  that  the  tree 
would  make  intelligent  in  a  desirable  sense,  and  that 
they  would  not  die.  So  she  ate,  and  through  her  in- 
fluence Adam  ate. 

They  then  became  knowing, — conscious  of  a  fact  that 
did  not  exist  before,  of  an  inward  shame.  At  their  stage 
of  development  they  did  not  distinguish  between  physical 
shame  and  moral  shame ;  but  it  really  was  a  moral  shame, 
arising  in  their  recognition  of  their  physical  capacity 
to  carry  out  their  mission  of  filling  the  earth  with  their 
offspring.  As  potential  parents  they  were  ashamed. 
The  nature  of  human  sin  cannot  be  understood  unless 
studied  as  the  sin  of  possible  parents.  And  they  were 
ashamed,  not  before  each  other,  but  before  their  Friend, 
from  whom  they  vainly  endeavored  to  cover  and  hide 
themselves. 

The  New  Covenant,  3.8-21.  At  the  time  of  the  day 
when  the  wind  rises  their  Friend  came  as  they  were  ex- 


NOTES   TO    SECTION   2  85 

pccting,  and  therefore  as  was  his  custom,  and  called  them 
out  from  their  hiding-place.  He  drew  from  them  the 
confession  of  their  disobedience,  and  their  excuses: 
Adam's,  "  The  woman  whom  you  gave  to  be  with  me, 
she  gave  me  and  I  ate,"  putting  the  blame  on  God ;  and 
the  woman's,  that  the  serpent  utterly  deceived  her. 
Then  God  said  three  words.  One  was  to  the  tempter 
in  their  presence :  it  doomed  him  to  live  and  crawl  as  a 
serpent  all  his  days ;  and  it  established  perpetual  enmity 
between  his  offspring  and  the  woman's,  resulting  in 
temporary  harm  to  hers,  and  destruction  to  his.  (If 
this  warfare  resulted  in  the  extinction  of  this  species 
of  animal  in  the  lifetime  of  Adam  and  Eve,  the  language 
of  the  curse  would  be  satisfied  to  their  mind,  if  they 
identified  their  enemy  with  the  serpent;  but  it 
is  impossible  that  they  permanently  identified  their 
great  enemy  with  any  mere  animal.  They  must 
have  come  to  suppose  that  he  was  some  great  and 
awful  intelligence  in  an  animal).  This  curse  to  the 
serpent  was  a  promise  to  Adam  and  Eve,  pointing  to 
her  progeny  as  furnishing  salvation.  It  raised  ques- 
tions, and  left  them  unanswered.  One  of  them  is  why 
her  offspring  and  not  his  was  named  as  deliverer.  And 
we  note  that  as  the  sin  was  the  sin  of  potential  parents, 
a  race  sin,  so  the  remedy  was  to  come  through  parent- 
hood, a  race  remedy.  The  second  word  was  to  the 
woman.  As  she  has  just  been  appointed  the  mother  of 
the  Savior,  so  now  she  is  appointed  to  subordination  and 
pain, — glory  and  humiliation.  The  third  word  was  to 
Adam ;  toil, — toil  under  conditions  less  favorable  than  in 
the  garden  ;  and  death,  like  other  animals. 

Beneath  the  surface  facts, — the  serpent,  and  the 
woman's  seed,  and  the  pain  of  motherhood,  and  the  toil 
of  life  decaying  into  death, — they  must  have  come  to  feel 
that  there  are  deeper  realities.  The  first  promise  awak- 
ened a  hopeful  faith  in  Adam,  and  he  gave  his  wife  a 


86  DESCND^TS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

name  appropriate  to  her  as  the  mother  of  all  living. 
And  God  confirmed  the  new  basis  of  friendship  by  mak- 
ing coats  of  skin  for  Adam  and  his  wife,  and  cloth- 
ing them ;  and  as  he  put  those  skins  around  them 
they  ^  got  the  feeling  that  he  had  grace  for  them  as 
sinners. 

The  Expulsion,  3.22-24.  Notwithstanding  this  new 
covenant,  ratified  by  the  death  of  the  animals  whose 
skins  were  used  for  the  clothing,  Adam  and  Eve  were 
yet  expelled  from  the  Garden,  to  cultivate  the  soil  of 
Eden  outside  of  the  Garden.  Otherwise,  they  might  by 
eating  of  the  tree  of  life  in  the  midst  of  the  Garden  have 
lived  on  perpetually.  From  their  scenes  of  toil  they 
could  see  the  cherubim  wielding  the  flame  of  a  sword  to 
guard  the  way  to  the  tree  of  life.  Whether  this  visible 
exhibition  continued  throughout  their  lifetime,  or  after 
a  time  disappeared  with  the  tree  itself,  it  must  have 
burned  into  the  primitive  human  experience  an  awful 
sense  of  God's  anger  against  sin. 

What  was  that  sword?  May  it  have  been  the  very 
knife  with  which  God  killed  those  animals  for  clothing? 
What  were  the  cherubim?  The  man  and  his  wife  saw 
them  and  shuddered,  but  they  have  not  attempted  to 
describe  them.  (Of  course,  they  were  taught  i.i — 2.3 
before  they  became  acquainted  with  the  tempter  or  the 
cherubim.)  What  was  the  tree  of  hfe?  It  was  the  only 
one  of  its  kind,  and  has  disappeared. 

In  1.26  I  would  not  allow  that  "us"  and  "our"  are 
certainly  to  be  taken  as  indicating  plurality ;  but  in  3.22, 
"  Jehovah  God  said.  The  man  is  become  like  one  of  us  " 
would  seem  to  indicate  plurality.  Yet  we  cannot  be 
certain  that  there  is  here  any  germ  of  the  idea  of  plural- 
ity of  persons  in  the  godhead ;  for  the  plurality,  if  plural- 
ity is  intended,  may  refer  to  the  cherubim. 

The  contents  of  the  story  outside  the  Garden,  4.1-26, 
may  next  be  outlined.     The  aim  of  this  subsection  is  to 


NOTES   TO    SECTION   2  87 

trace  man,  the  progeny  of  heaven  and  earth,  far  enough 
in  his  development  to  see  what  he  really  is. 

Cain  and  Abel,  4.1-8.  Eve  is  reported  as  saying,  at 
the  birth  of  Cain,  "  I  have  gotten  a  man  with  the  help 
of  Jehovah,"  if  we  follow  the  versions.  If  we  accept 
this  translation,  however,  we  have  Eve  using  the  name 
Jehovah  of  God  before  it  came  into  this  use,  accord- 
ing to  our  interpretation  of  4.26.  The  Hebrew  could  be 
rendered  "  I  have  gotten  a  man,  the  One-that-Shall-Be." 
This  would  make  her  refer  to  the  promise  in  3.15.  But 
"  the  One-that-shall-be  "  is  in  the  Hebrew  the  same  as 
Jehovah.  Hence  if  we  adopt  this  construction  we  should 
render  ''  I  have  gotten  a  man,  the  Jehovah."  We  must 
accordingly  suppose  that  Eve  designated  her  son  by  the 
term  which  was  afterward  taken  as  the  name  of  their 
Friend;  that  she  did  not  use  it  as  a  proper  name,  but 
simply  as  an  epithet  or  appositive  of  "  a  man  " ;  and  that 
this  very  term  was  in  the  days  of  Enosh  taken  as  the 
proper  name  of  God,  as  being  the  one  who  in  the  deepest 
sense,  as  over  against  failing  mortals  born  of  woman, 
will  be.  To  this  interpretation  I  incline,  but  I  cannot  be 
certain  of  it. 

Abel's  gift  to  God  was  accepted,  and  Cain's  rejected. 
Why?  Abel's,  being  of  the  flock,  such  animals  as  had 
from  the  first  given  their  skins  for  clothing,  was  confes- 
sion of  sin,  petition  for  acceptance  in  spite  of  sin,  and 
expression  of  God's  grace  to  sinners.  Being  firstlings, 
the  best,  and  with  their  fat,  it  expressed  all  that  any  gift 
could  express  of  submission  and  gratitude ;  but  its 
peculiar  significance  grew  out  of  the  association  of  ideas 
established  by  God's  making  garments  of  skins  taken 
from  such  animals  to  cover  the  sense  of  shame  arising 
in  the  transgressors.  And  the  great  principle  of  wor- 
ship is  taught.  If  you  do  not  do  well,  a  sin-oflFering  is 
available ;  present  that,  and  be  accepted. 

The  Banishment  of  Cain,  4.9-15.     Cain  was  expelled 


88  DESCNDTS  OF  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH 

from  Eden  (as  Adam  had  been  expelled  from  the 
Garden),  and  therefore  from  the  special  presence  of 
God;  yet  a  notice  is  set  up  that  no  one  is  to  slay  him 
for  his  murder  of  Abel. 

The  Cainite  Civilization,  4.16-24.  Cain  and  his 
descendants  built  cities,  developed  tent-life  and  cattle 
raising,  cultivated  instrumental  music,  and  invented  cut- 
ting instruments  of  bronze  and  iron.  They  also  set 
much  by  beauty  in  woman.  The  account  is  exceedingly 
brief ;  but  Naamah,  whose  name  probably  means  Attrac- 
tive, is  mentioned  as  if  famous  for  what  her  name 
signifies.  The  bare  item  might  well  have  furnished 
material  for  legend  to  grow  out  of;  but  it  is  noteworthy 
that  it  has  itself  anything  but  the  air  of  legend.  They 
became  polygamists.  Their  great  hero,  Lamech,  a  poet, 
sang  to  his  wives  a  glorification  of  murder. 

The  Sethites,  4.25,  26.  Long  before  the  banishment 
of  Cain  Eve  had  discerned  between  him  and  Abel,  and 
looked  to  Abel  as  the  promised  seed.  After  his  death 
and  Cain's  banishment  a  new  beginning  was  made  in  her 
son  Seth.  And  after  the  birth  of  his  son  Enosh  a  be- 
ginning was  made  of  calling  the  Divine  Being  Jehovah. 
Even  if  Eve  had  already  used  this  name  as  a  designation 
of  God,  it  did  not  till  this  time  become  the  name  by 
which  he  was  addressed  in  prayer. 

Here,  then,  is  what  the  History  of  the  Progeny  of 
Heaven  and  Earth  gives  us.  There  are  five  communi- 
ties. First  is  Jehovah  and  the  cherubim.  The  second 
is  Jehovah  and  his  human  friends,  maintaining  communi- 
cation through  revelation  from  him,  and  through  gifts 
and  sin-offerings  from  them,  this  communion  replacing 
that  beautiful  friendship  of  the  days  of  purity  and 
obedience,  and  looking  forward  to  something  better  to 
be  brought  in  through  the  progeny  yet  to  come.  The 
third  is  Jehovah  and  Abel,  whom  he  accepted  before 
death,  and  does  not  become  deaf  to  after  death.     These 


NOTES    TO    SECTION   2  89 

three,  or  these  two,  communities  are  one,  Jehovah  and 
his  friends,  a  covenant  community.  The  fourth  is  the 
serpent  and  his  progeny.  And  the  fifth  is  the  Cainites. 
The  human  race  has  spht  into  two  parts,  the  Cainites 
apart  from  Jehovah,  and  the  Sethites  in  covenant 
friendship  with  him. 

Difficulties. — The  consideration  of  most  difficulties  we 
postpone,  but  where  Cain  got  his  wife  must  be  answered 
now,  in  order  to  understand  the  narrative.  Adam  was 
one  hundred  and  thirty  years  old  when  Seth  was  born 
(5.3).  He  might  by  that  time  have  been  the  father  of  a 
hundred  children,  and  his  descendants  by  that  time  might 
have  been  numerous.  But  the  first  sons  must  have  had 
wives,  and  for  these  there  are  only  three  conceivable 
origins :  first,  wives  specially  provided  as  was  Eve ;  sec- 
ond, daughters  of  a  non-Adamic  race ;  third,  their  own 
sisters.  Now  a  narrator  is  more  likely  to  omit  those 
things  that  to  him  are  matters  of  course  than  those 
things  that  to  him  require  explanation.  Hence  had 
either  the  first  or  second  been  the  real  origin,  it  would 
certainly  have  been  mentioned.  The  third  would  also 
have  been  mentioned  if  the  narrative  originated  at  a 
time  when  men  did  not  ordinarily  take  their  own  sisters 
for  wives ;  if  it  was  first  written  at  a  time  and  among  a 
people  where  marriages  with  sisters  was  abhorred  it 
would  certainly  have  mentioned  and  justified  the  mar- 
riage with  sisters  here  or  would  have  told  of  some  other 
source  for  the  wives.  It  accordingly  follows  both  that 
Adam's  sons  did  marry  their  own  sisters,  and  that  the 
narrative  must  have  originated  either  in  the  primitive 
family  or  at  a  time  when  such  marriages  were  still  a 
matter  of  course,  so  that  no  notice  was  taken  of  it. 


SECTION  3 

5.       ^    THIS    IS    THE    BOOK    OF    THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    ADAM 

At  the  time  God  created  man  [Hebrew  Adam]  he 
made  him  Hke  himself.  ^  He  created  them  male  and 
female.  He  blessed  them  and  named  them  Man  at  the 
time  they  were  created. 

^  Adam  lived  one  hundred  and  thirty  years,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  one  like  himself,  his  image,  whom  he 
named  Seth.  ^  The  life  of  Adam  after  he  became  the 
father  of  Seth  lasted  eight  hundred  years,  and  he  had 
sons  and  daughters.  ^  When  the  life  that  Adam  lived 
had  lasted  in  all  nine  hundred  and  thirty  years,  he  died. 

^  Seth  lived  one  hundred  and  five  years,  and  became 
the  father  of  Enosh.  ^  Seth  lived  after  becoming  the 
father  of  Enosh  eight  hundred  and  seven  years,  and  had 
sons  and  daughters.  ^  When  the  life  of  Seth  had  lasted 
in  all  nine  hundred  and  twelve  years,  he  died. 

^  Enosh  lived  ninety  years,  and  became  the  father  of 
Kenan.  ^^  Enosh  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of 
Kenan  eight  hundred  and  fifteen  years,  and  had  sons  and 
daughters.  ^^  When  the  life  of  Enosh  had  lasted  in  all 
nine  hundred  and  five  years,  he  died. 

12  Kenan  lived  seventy  years,  and  became  the  father 
of  Mahalaleel.  ^^  Kenan  lived  after  becoming  the  father 
of  Mahalaleel  eight  hundred  and  forty  years,  and  had 
sons  and  daughters.  ^^  When  the  life  of  Kenan  had 
lasted  in  all  nine  hundred  and  ten  years,  he  died. 

15   Mahalaleel  lived  sixty-five  years,   and  became  the 

90 


SECTION   3    (5.1-6.8)  91 

father  of  Jared.  ^^  Mahalaleel  lived  after  becoming  the 
father  of  Jared  eight  hundred  and  thirty  years,  and  had 
sons  and  daughters.  ^'^  When  the  Hfe  of  Mahalaleel  had 
lasted  in  all  eight  hundred  and  ninety-five  years,  he  died. 
18  Jared  lived  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  years,  and 
became  the  father  of  Enoch.  ^^  Jared  lived  after  be- 
coming the  father  of  Enoch  eight  hundred  years,  and  had 
sons  and  daughters,  ^o  When  the  life  of  Jared  had  lasted 
in  all  nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  years,  he  died. 

21  Enoch  lived  sixty-five  years,  and  became  the  father 
of  Methusaleh.  22  Enoch  lived  in  communion  with  God, 
after  becoming  the  father  of  Methusaleh,  for  three  hun- 
dred years,  and  had  sons  and  daughters.  23  When  the 
life  of  Enoch  had  lasted  in  all  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  years,  ^4  while  he  lived  with  God,  he  disappeared,  for 
God  took  him. 

25  Methusaleh  lived  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
years,  and  became  the  father  of  Lamech.  ^6  Methusaleh 
lived  after  becoming  the  father  of  Lamech  seven  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  years,  and  had  sons  and  daughters. 
2"^  When  the  life  of  Methusaleh  had  lasted  in  all  nine 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  years,  he  died. 

28  Lamech  lived  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  years,  and 
had  a  son.     29  j^g  named  him  Noah  [Rest],  and  said, 

"  This  is  the  one  who  will  console  us  for  our  work 
and  the  pain  of  our  hands  due  to  the  Ground  that  Jehovah 
cursed." 

20  Lamech  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of  Noah 
five  hundred  and  ninety-five  years,  and  had  sons  and 
daughters.  ^^  When  the  life  of  Lamech  had  lasted  in  all 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-seven  years,  he  died. 

22  Noah  was  five  hundred  years  old  when  he  became 
the  father  of  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth. 

! 

6.  1  Now  when  mankind  began  to  multiply  over  the 
Ground,  and  daughters  were  born  to  them,  2  the  children 


92         THE   DESCENDANTS    OF  ADAM 

of  God  saw  that  the  daughters  of  mankind  were  beauti- 
ful, and  they  married  any  of  them  they  chose.  ^  But 
Jehovah  said, 

"  My  breath  shall  not  remain  in  man  always,  for  he  is 
animal;  but  his  life  shall  last  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years." 

^  The  Heroes  were  in  the  land  in  those  times.  After- 
wards also,  when  the  children  of  God  lived  with  the 
daughters  of  mankind  and  had  children  born  of  them, 
these  were  the  great  men  that  were  famous  of  old. 

^  When  Jehovah  saw  that  the  badness  of  man  was 
great  in  the  land,  and  that  all  the  purposes  that  issued 
from  his  inner  nature  were  only  and  always  bad,  ^  he 
sorrowed  because  he  had  made  man  in  the  land,  and 
there  was  anguish  in  his  heart.     "^  So  Jehovah  said, 

"  I  will  wipe  off  man  that  I  have  made  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  Ground, — and  not  only  man,  but  beasts  and 
reptiles  and  birds  of  the  air, — for  I  am  in  sorrow  because 
I  made  them." 

^  But  Noah  was  regarded  with  favor  by  Jehovah. 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    3 

Text. — 5.3/^/,  Adam  lived  one  hundred  and  thirty 
YEARS,  etc.  In  the  numbers  given  in  this  genealogical 
table  and  the  later  one  in  chapter  2,  we  have  perhaps 
the  most  serious  discrepancy  between  the  Hebrew 
Massoretic  text  and  the  versions.  The  following  is  a 
comparative  table  of  the  lives  up  to  the  birth  of  the 
son  as  given  respectively  by  the  Hebrew  text,  the  Samari- 
tan Pentateuch,  the  Septuagint,  and  the  Jewish  historian 
Josephus    (see  "Versions"  in  the  Index): 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    3  93 

HEBREW.  SAMARITAN.  SEPTUAGINT.  JOSEPHUS. 

Adam  130  130  230  230 

Seth  105  105  205  205 

Enosh 90  90  190  190 

Kenan  70  70  170  170 

Mahalaleel..  .  65  65  165  165 

Jared  162  62  162  162 

Enoch  65  65  165  165 

Methusaleh.  .  187  67  167  187 

Lamech  182  53  188  182 

Noah  500  500  5CX)  500 

Birth  of  

Noah's  sons:  1556  1207  2142  2156 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Samaritan  diminishes  the 
figures  of  our  Hebrew  text,  and  the  Septuapnt  increases 
them,  we  may  take  our  figures  as  probably  the  correct 
ones. 

5.29,  Noah  [Rest]  .  .console.  We  have  here  what 
has  been  taken  for  an  etymological  blunder,  for  the  two 
Hebrew  words,  although  slightly  resembling  each  other, 
are  certainly  not  the  same  in  meaning  or  derivation,  as 
the  cases  of  Eve  (3.20),  Jehovah  (4.1),  and  Seth  (4-25) 
would  lead  us  to  expect.  Has  the  writer,  then,  made  a 
mistake?  Rather  we  have  an  important  proof  that  the 
narratives  were  composed  originally  in  a  language  not 
Hebrew.  In  translation  into  the  Hebrew,  of  course, 
such  etymological  notes  could  not  always  be  perfectly 
reproduced,  any  more  than  they  can  in  English  (See 
''Apparently  False  Etymologies"  in  the  Index).  6.3, 
Animal.  Literally  "  flesh."  Cf.  note  1.20,  living 
creatures.  6.4,  Heroes.  The  A.  V.  has  "  giants  " ;  the 
R.  v.,  "  Nephilim,"  which  simply  spells  the  Hebrew  word 
in  English  letters.  The  exact  meaning  of  this  term  is 
unknown. 

Origin. — This  section  ends  its  narrative  in  the  lifetime 


94         THE    DESCENDANTS    OF  ADAM 

of  Noah  before  the  flood,  and  we  may  therefore  ascribe 
its  composition  to  him. 

Form. —  It  contains  a  genealogical  table,  preceded  by 
an  introduction,  and  followed  by  two  paragraphs  de- 
scriptive of  the  times.    In  the  table  itself  are  a  few  notes. 

Content. — The  whole  traces  the  development  of  the 
Sethites  till  their  final  corruption. 

The  Introduction,  5.1,  2.  The  creation  of  man  male 
and  female  in  the  image  of  God  is  reiterated,  and  the 
identity  of  the  general  term  man  with  the  proper  name 
Adam  is  pointed  out,  making  Adam  to  contain  all  man- 
kind in  himself. 

The  Genealogical  Table,  5.3-32.  The  table  lists  ten 
patriarchs.  The  first,  Adam,  lived  56  years  with  the 
ninth,  Lamech ;  the  second,  Seth,  lived  with  Lamech 
168  years ;  and  the  third,  Enosh,  lived  with  the  tenth, 
Noah,  84  years, — if  the  figures  are  correct  and  there  are 
no  omissions.  The  ages  at  death  are  930,  912,  905,  910, 
895,  962,  365,  969,  y/y,  Noah's  not  being  here  given.  The 
ages  at  the  birth  of  the  son  are  130,  105,  90,  70,  65,  162, 
65,  187,  182,  500.  Three  sons  are  named  of  Noah, 
only  one  each  of  the  others ;  but  each  of  the  others  is 
said  to  have  begotten  sons  and  daughters  after  the 
birth  of  the  son  here  named.  The  son  named  is  not 
said  to  be  the  oldest  son ;  and  we  know  from  the  pre- 
ceding section  that  Seth  was  not  the  oldest  son  of  Adam. 

Are  there  any  omissions?  That  is,  when  it  says  that 
Methusaleh  lived  187  years  and  became  the  father  of 
Lamech,  does  it  deny  that  Lamech  was  the  grandson  or 
great-grandson  of  Methusaleh?  That  depends  wholly 
on  whether  *' became  the  father  of"  (A.  V.  "begat") 
is  ever  used  of  remoter  descent ;  and  as  we  know  that  it 
is  sometimes  so  used  in  later  tables,  we  cannot  say  that 
it  is  not  so  used  in  any  or  all  cases  in  this  table.  Com- 
pare, for  instance,  the  genealogical  table  of  the  ancestry 
of  Jesus  given   by   Matthew   with  the   Old   Testament 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    3  95 

records.  The  number  ten  raises  a  suspicion  that  some 
less  important  hnks  were  omitted.  If  so,  we  have  not 
here  the  data  for  calculating  the  number  of  years  from 
the  beginning  to  the  flood. 

Are  the  names  in  the  table  the  names  of  individuals 
only,  or  are  they  also  names  of  families  or  patriarchal 
dynasties?  Adam,  Enoch,  and  Noah  are  certainly  in- 
dividuals, and  hence  each  of  the  ten.  If  they  are  also 
patriarchal  dynasties,  then  there  were  eight  of  these 
dynasties  contemporary  with  one  another, — unless  we 
suppose  that  there  are  so  many  omissions  that  one  said 
to  be  the  son  was  really  a  remote  descendant.  Moreover, 
each  is  said  to  have  lived  and  died ;  and  a  family  or 
dynasty  would  hardly  be  said  to  die. 

Note  is  made  of  the  fact  that  Adam  became  the 
father  of  a  son  like  himself.  Enoch,  the  seventh  in  the 
list,  "  while  he  walked  with  God,"  "  disappeared,  for 
God  took  him."  Since  the  others  are  said  to  have  died, 
this  must  mean  that  Enoch  went  to  God  without  dying. 
Lamech,  the  ninth  in  the  list,  made  a  prediction  at  the 
birth  of  Noah.    Noah's  three  sons  are  named. 

The  Process  of  Corruption,  6.1-4.  The  children  of 
God,  that  is,  the  Sethites,  took  them  such  wives  as  they 
chose  of  the  fair  women  of  the  race,  breaking  over  the 
primal  monogamy,  and  also  over  the  religious  separation 
between  the  Sethites  and  the  Cainites.  So  Jehovah, 
their  covenant  Friend,  announced  a  shortening  of  human 
life  to  a  hundred  and  twenty  years,  by  reason  of  the 
withdrawal  of  his  Spirit  or  breath.  But  a  notable  breed 
of  men  resulted  from  these  ethically  corrupting  mar- 
riages. 

The  Impending  Ruin,  6.5-8.  Jehovah,  becoming 
grieved  over  the  incurable  corruption  of  man,  determined 
to  destroy  him  from  off  the  Ground,  together  with  all 
the  animals ;  but  Noah  found  favor  with  him. 

Teachings. — All     this    section,     and     especially    this 


96         THE   DESCENDANTS    OF  ADAM 

last  paragraph,  is  a  summary  of  the  prophesying  of 
Noah.  The  notable  facts  in  the  section  are  the  long 
lives  and  the  shortening  of  life;  the  revelation  of  a 
life  with  God  in  the  case  of  Enoch,  involving  exemption 
from  death  (his  case  was  recognized  as  exceptional,  yet 
it  was  impossible,  after  Abel  and  Enoch,  not  to  believe 
in  a  future  life  for  the  righteous)  ;  the  corruption  which 
came  in  marriages  that  had  as  their  controlling  motive 
mere  desire,  the  children  of  God  ignoring  their  sacred 
dignity ;  the  explicit  idea  of  sonship  to  God,  the  covenant 
becoming  a  covenant  of  Parent  and  Children ;  and  the 
grief  of  God,  in  which  the  others  are  to  be  destroyed, 
while  Noah  is  elected  to  be  saved. 


SECTION  4 

6.       ^    THESE   ARE   THE   DESCENDANTS   OF    NOAH 

Among  his  contemporaries  Noah  was  an  upright  and 
exemplary  man,  and  he  Uved  with  God.  ^^  He  had  three 
sons,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth.  ^^  But  the  land  was  de- 
generating under  the  eyes  of  Jehovah,  and  was  full  of 
outrage.  ^^  God  saw  that  the  land  was  degenerate  in- 
deed, for  all  life  in  the  land  had  become  morally  degener- 
ate. 

1^  Then  God  said  to  Noah^  "  The  end  of  all  life,  I  see, 
has  come;  for  its  presence  fills  the  land  with  outrage. 
Now,  I  am  going  to  destroy  the  land  and  them  with  it. 

1^  "  Make  for  yourself  an  ark  of  gopher  wood ;  make 
it  with  rooms,  and  coat  it  inside  and  out  with  pitch.  ^^ 
And  this  is  how  you  shall  make  it:  four  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  long,  seventy-five  feet  broad,  and  forty-five  feet  high. 
1^  You  shall  provide  a  light  for  the  ark  by  leaving  eight- 
een inches  unfinished  at  the  top ;  and  you  shall  put  the 
door  in  the  side  of  the  ark,  and  make  it  with  lower,  sec- 
ond, and  third  stories. 

^"^  "  And  I,  now,  am  going  to  bring  upon  the  land  a 
Deluge  of  water,  to  destroy  everything  that  lives  and 
breathes  beneath  the  sky ;  everything  shall  perish  that  is 
in  the  land.  ^^  But  with  you  I  will  establish  a  compact. 
You  shall  enter  the  ark,  you,  your  sons,  your  wife,  and 
your  sons'  wives  with  you.  ^^  Of  all  animal  life  also  you 
shall  bring  two  of  each  sort  into  the  ark,  the  male  and  the 
female,  to  preserve  them  alive  with  you.  ^o  Qf  the  dif- 
ferent   kinds    of    birds,    beasts,    and    reptiles    of    the 

97 


98         THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    NOAH 

ground,  two  of  each  shall  come  in  to  you  to  preserve 
them  alive.  ^^  For  your  part,  take  some  of  all  sorts  of 
food  that  is  eaten,  and  gather  it  to  you ;  and  let  it  be  for 
you  and  them  to  eat." 

22  Just  as  God  commanded  him,  so  Noah  did  in  every 
respect. 

7.  1  "  Enter,"  Jehovah  then  said  to  Noah,  "  you  and 
all  your  family,  into  the  ark ;  for  you  I  have  seen  for  my- 
self to  be  upright  among  this  generation.  2  You  shall  take 
of  all  clean  beasts  seven  pairs,  the  male  and  the  female, 
and  of  all  beasts  that  are  not  clean  one  pair,  the  male  and 
the  female ;  ^  and  of  the  birds  of  the  air  also  seven  pairs, 
male  and  female,  to  preserve  their  offspring  over  all  the 
land.  ^  For  in  a  week  more  I  am  going  to  rain  on  the 
land  for  forty  days  and  nights ;  and  I  will  destroy  every 
living  being  that  I  have  made,  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground." 

^  Noah  did  just  as  God  commanded  him. 

^  When  Noah  was  six  hundred  years  old,  the  Deluge 
of  water  came  upon  the  land.  "^  At  the  approach  of  the 
water  of  the  Deluge,  Noah  entered  the  ark,  and  his  sons, 
his  wife,  and  his  sons'  wives  with  him ;  ^  and  pairs  of  the 
clean  beasts  and  of  the  beasts  that  are  not  clean,  of  the 
birds,  and  of  all  the  reptiles  of  the  ground,  ^  male  and 
female,  came  to  him  in  the  ark,  as  God  had  commanded 
him. 

1^  At  the  end  of  the  week  the  water  of  the  Deluge  was 
upon  the  land.  ^^  The  seventeenth  day  of  the  second 
month,  in  the  six  hundredth  year  of  Noah's  life,  was  the 
day  when  all  the  sources  of  the  great  deep  were  broken 
open  and  the  windows  of  the  sky  were  opened,  ^2  and 
the  rain  fell  on  the  land  for  forty  days  and  nights.  ^^ 
On  that  same  day  Noah,  his  sons  Shem,  Ham,  and  Ja- 
pheth,  his  wife,  and  his  sons'  three  wives  with  them  en- 


SECTION   4    (6.9-9.29)  99 

tered  the  ark ;  ^'^  and  all  kinds  of  animals  besides,  in- 
cluding all  kinds  of  beasts,  reptiles  that  crawl  on  the 
land,  and  birds,  everything-  that  flies.  ^^  There  came  to 
Noah  in  the  ark  pairs  of  all  things  that  live  and  breathe ; 
1^  males  and  females,  they  came  in,  of  all  forms 
of  life,  as  God  had  commanded  him.  Then  Jehovah  shut 
him  in. 

1'^  The  Deluge  came  upon  the  land  for  forty  days. 
The  water  rose  and  lifted  the  ark,  so  that  it  was  raised 
above  the  earth.  ^^  Then  the  water  was  swollen  and  rose 
high  above  the  earth,  so  that  the  ark  rode  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  ^^  Then  the  water  became  enormously 
swollen  over  the  land,  covering  all  the  high  mountains 
under  the  whole  sky.  ^o  Twenty-two  and  a  half  feet 
higher  was  the  water  swollen,  and  so  deep  were  the 
mountains  covered,  ^i  All  forms  of  moving  life  on  the 
land  perished,  including  birds  and  beasts,  the  animals  and 
even  all  the  little  things  that  swarmed  over  the  land,  and 
all  mankind.  22  Everything  that  breathed  the  breath  of 
life, — all  of  them  that  lived  upon  dry  land, — died.  ^3 
Ever>^  living  being  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground  was 
wiped  out, — not  only  man,  but  also  beasts,  reptiles,  and 
birds  of  the  air, — they  were  wiped  out  of  the  land,  and 
there  was  left  only  Noah  and  what  was  with  him  in  the 
ark. 

24  The  water  remained  swollen  over  the  land  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  days.  8.  ^  Then  God  remembered 
Noah,  and  all  the  animals  and  all  the  beasts  that  were 
with  him  in  the  ark ;  and  God  made  a  wind  pass  over  the 
land,  so  that  the  water  fell.  ^  The  sources  of  the  deep 
and  the  windows  of  the  sky  were  closed,  and  the  rain 
from  the  sky  stopped.  ^  The  water  steadily  receded 
from  the  land,  the  decline  beginning  at  the  end  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  days.     *   On  the  seventeenth  day  of 


loo      THE    DESCENDANTS   OF    NOAH 

the  seventh  month  the  ark  went  aground  on  the  moun- 
tains of  Ararat.  ^  The  water  went  on  dedining  till  the 
tenth  month.  On  the  first  day  of  the  tenth  month  the 
tops  of  the  mountains  appeared.  ^  At  the  end  of  forty 
days  more  Noah  opened  the  window  that  he  had  made 
in  the  ark  '^  and  put  out  a  raven,  which  went  back  and 
forth  until  the  water  on  the  land  had  subsided.  ^  He 
also  put  out  from  him  a  pigeon,  to  see  whether  the  water 
had  ebbed  away  from  the  surface  of  the  ground.  ^  The 
pigeon  did  not  find  any  place  to  rest  the  sole  of  its  foot, 
and  it  returned  to  him  in  the  ark,  for  the  water  was 
still  all  over  the  land ;  so  he  reached  out  his  hand,  took  it, 
and  brought  it  in  to  him  in  the  ark.  '^^  Then  he  waited 
still  a  week  longer  and  put  the  pigeon  out  again  from 
the  ark.  ^^  In  the  evening  the  pigeon  came  in  to  him, 
and  there  in  its  mouth  was  an  olive  leaf  pulled  off;  so 
Noah  knew  that  the  water  had  ebbed  away  from  the 
land.  ^2  Another  week  he  waited,  and  again  put  out  the 
pigeon ;  and  it  did  not  return  to  him  any  more. 

13  It  was  on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month,  in  the 
six  hundred  and  first  year,  that  the  water  on  the  land 
had  dried  up.  Noah  took  off  the  covering  of  the  ark, 
and  saw  that  the  surface  of  the  ground  was  indeed  dried. 
1*  By  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  second  month  the  land 
had  become  dry. 

15  Then  God  spoke  to  Noah,  and  said,  ^^  "  Come  out 
of  the  ark,  you  and  your  wife,  your  sons  and  your  sons* 
wives  with  you.  ^^  Bring  out  with  you  all  the  animal 
life  that  is  with  you, — birds,  beasts,  and  all  the  reptiles 
that  crawl  on  the  land, — and  let  them  swarm  over  the 
land,  and  be  fruitful  and  multiply  in  the  land." 

1^  So  Noah  came  out,  and  his  sons,  his  wife,  and  his 
sons'  wives  with  him;  ^^  and  all  the  different  breeds  of 
animals,  reptiles,  and  birds, — everything  that  moved  on 
the  land, — came  out  of  the  ark. 


SECTION    4    (6.9-9.29)  loi 

20  Then  Noah  built  an  altar  to  Jehovah;  and  taking 
some  of  all  the  clean  beasts  and  all  the  clean  birds,  he 
offered  burnt-offerings  on  the  altar.  21  When  Jehovah 
smelled  the  sweet  odor,  he  said  to  himself, 

"  Never  again  will  I  curse  the  ground  on  man's  ac- 
count, for  the  issue  of  man's  inner  nature  is  bad  from 
his  youth;  and  never  again  will  I  strike  all  animals  as 
I  have  done.  22  j^^  jong  as  the  land  endures,  sowing  and 
reaping,  cold  and  heat,  summer  and  winter,  and  day  and 
night  shall  not  cease." 

9.  1  So  Jehovah  blessed  Noah  and  his  sons,  and  said 
to  them, 

"  Be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  fill  the  land.  2  The 
fear  and  the  dread  of  you  shall  possess  all  the  wild  beasts 
and  all  the  birds  of  the  air,  including  everything  that 
crawls  the  ground  and  all  the  fishes  of  the  sea ;  they  are 
put  into  your  hands.  ^  Everything  that  lives  and  moves 
shall  be  yours  for  food.  I  give  you  them  all,  just  like 
the  green  herbs ;  ^  provided  that  you  shall  not  eat  the 
flesh  with  the  life  in  it,  that  is,  its  blood ;  ^  and  provided 
also,  that  I  will  exact  satisfaction  for  your  blood,  which 
means  your  lives.  From  any  animal,  and  from  man  I 
will  exact  satisfaction, — from  any  man. — for  the  life  of 
his  brother  man.  ^  He  who  sheds  man's  blood,  by  man 
his  blood  shall  be  shed ;  for 

'  God  made  man  the  image  of  himself.' 
'^  And  you,  now,  be  fruitful  and  multiply;  swarm  over 
the  land  and  multiply  in  it." 

^  God  said  also  to  Noah  and  to  his  sons  with  him, 
^  "  And  I,  now,  am  going  to  establish  my  compact 
with  you,  with  your  offspring  after  you,  ^^  and  with 
every  living  creature  that  is  with  you.  the  birds,  the 
beasts,  and  all  the  wild  animals  with  you, — not  only  all 
that  have  come  out  of  the  ark,  but  all  wild  animals  also. 


102       THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    NOAH 

^^  I  will  establish  my  compact  with  you :  never  again  shall 
all  life  be  cut  off  by  the  water  of  a  Deluge,  and  never 
again  shall  there  be  a  Deluge  to  destroy  the  land." 

^2  God  said  also,  "  This  is  the  seal  of  the  compact  that 
I  am  granting  between  myself  and  you  and  all  the  living 
creatures  that  are  with  you,  for  generation  after  genera- 
tion forever:  ^^  the  rainbow,  which  I  have  put  in  the 
clouds  that  it  may  be  a  seal  of  compact  between  me  and 
the  land.  ^^  When  I  bring  clouds  over  the  land  here- 
after, and  the  rainbow  appears  in  the  clouds,  ^^  then  I 
will  remember  my  compact  that  is  between  me  and  you 
and  all  animate  life ;  and  never  again  shall  the  water  be- 
come a  Deluge  to  destroy  all  life.  ^^  The  rainbow  will 
be  in  the  clouds,  and  I  shall  see  it  and  remember  the  per- 
petual compact  between  God  and  all  animate  life  in  the 
land." 

1^  "  This,"  God  said  to  Noah,  "  is  the  seal  of  the  com- 
pact which  I  have  estabHshed  between  myself  and  all  life 
in  the  land." 


^^  The  sons  of  Noah  who  came  out  of  the  ark  were 
Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth,  Ham  being  the  father  of 
Canaan.  ^^  These  three  sons  of  Noah  were  the  ones 
from  whom  spread  the  population  of  all  the  land. 

2^  Noah  began  to  engage  in  agriculture,  and  planted  a 
vineyard,  ^i  jjg  drank  of  the  wine  and  became  in- 
toxicated, and  was  uncovered  inside  his  tent.  ^^  Ham, 
the  father  of  Canaan,  saw  his  father  exposed  and  told 
his  two  brothers  outside.  ^3  Then  Shem  and  Japheth 
took  a  cloak  and  laid  it  across  the  shoulders  of  them 
both,  and  walking  backwards  they  covered  the  exposure 
of  their  father,  with  their  faces  turned  backward  so  that 
they  did  not  see  the  exposure  of  their  father.     24  "VVhen 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    4  103 

Noah  awoke  from  his  wine  and  came  to  know  what  his 
youngest  son  had  done  to  him,  ^s  he  said: 

"  Cursed  be  Canaan ; 

A  servant  and  a  slave  he  shall  be  to  his  brothers." 
26  He  said  also: 

''  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Shem ; 
Let  Canaan  be  his  servant. 

2^  "  Let  God  make  room  for  Japheth ; 
Let  him  be  at  home  with  Shem; 
And  let  Canaan  be  his  servant." 

28  Noah  lived  after  the  Deluge  three  hundred  and  fifty 
years.  ^9  When  the  life  of  Noah  had  lasted  in  all  nine 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  he  died. 


NOTES  TO   SECTION  4 

Text. — 7.4,  Week.  The  Hebrew  is  "  seven  days." 
Probably  the  original  composer  had  no  term  exactly 
equivalent  to  our  zveek;  but  he  had  the  thing, — the  seven- 
day  period.  9.10,  With  you.  The  phrase  does  not 
here  mean  "  with  you  in  the  ark,"  but  "  with  you  on 
the  land."  Nowhere  are  the  wild  animals  enumerated 
as  a  class  of  the  animals  that  went  into  the  ark,  and 
here  they  are  distinguished  from  the  animals  that  came 
out  of  the  ark.  This  certainly  implies  that  the  narrator 
was  aware  that  there  were  some  wild  animals  which  did 
not  perish  in  the  Deluge.  I  have  been  careful  to  make 
the  translation  faithful  to  the  Hebrew  in  this  point. 

Origin. — Except  9.19  and  9.28,  29  (and  perhaps 
6.9-12),  the  contents  of  this  section  might  have  come 
from  Noah  himself ;  but  all  of  it  may  have  come  from 
Shem  as  its  first  composer. 


104      THE    DESCENDANTS   OF    NOAH 

Structure. — It  is  a  narrative  of  the  saving  of  the 
descendants  of  Noah,  to  become  the  progenitors  of  a 
new  humanity.  The  narrative  incorporates  several 
oracles,  or  word  revelations.  It  falls  into  three  main 
parts:  the  Deluge,  6.9 — 8.19;  the  Postdiluvian  Covenant, 
8.20 — 9.17;  and  the  Prophetic  Assignment  of  Noah's 
Sons,  9.18-27.  We  may  break  the  whole  into  paragraphs 
as  follows : 

Contents. — Preliminary  Statement,  6.9-12,  of  Noah's 
righteousness,  his  walking  with  God,  and  the  general 
corruption. 

The  Antediluvian  Covenant  with  Noah,  6.13-22.  This 
is  a  summary  of  directions  about  the  ark  for  saving 
himself  and  his  family  from  the  Deluge.  It  is  a  special 
covenant  to  save  Noah  and  his  family. 

The  Entrance  into  the  Ark,  7.1-16.  A  week  before 
the  Deluge  began  the  command  came  for  Noah  and  all 
his  family  to  enter  the  ark,  including  seven  pairs  of  each 
sort  of  clean  animals.  As  the  Deluge  began  they  all 
entered. 

The  Deluge,  7.17-23,  resulting  in  the  destruction  of  all 
animal  and  human  life  in  the  land  except  what  was  in 
the  ark.  The  shallowest  sounding  after  the  mountains 
disappear  is  fifteen  cubits,  or  some  twenty-two  or  twenty- 
three  feet. 

The  Subsidence,  7.24 — 8.12.  Five  months,  150  days, 
after  the  Deluge  began,  the  ark  rested  on  the  mountains 
of  Ararat ;  73  days  later  the  tops  of  the  mountains  were 
seen ;  40  days  later  Noah  sent  out  a  raven  and  a  pigeon ; 
7  days  later  he  sent  the  pigeon  out  again  ;  7  days  later, 
and  again  7  days  later,  he  sent  out  the  pigeon  again. 
This  makes  284  days  since  the  flood  began  in  the  second 
month  on  the  17th  day,  or  46  days  after  the  year  came 
in ;  hence  the  pigeon  was  sent  out  the  last  time  when 
330  days  of  the  year  were  past,  or  eleven  months. 

The    Coming    Out   of   the   Ark,    8. 13-19.     A   month 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    4  105 

later,  the  first  day  of  the  year,  Noah  removed  the  cover- 
ing of  the  ark,  and  found  the  earth  dry;  but  he  waited 
the  command  of  God,  which  came  on  the  anniversary  of 
the  beginning  of  the  flood,  and  then  vacated  the  ark. 

The  Burnt-Offering  after  the  Deluge,  8.20-22.  Noah 
offered  as  burnt-offerings  some  of  all  clean  animals. 
Jehovah  accepted  the  offering,  and  in  his  heart  resolved 
to  be  gracious  to  sinful  man  and  no  more  to  destroy  the 
earth  with  a  flood.  This  inner  purpose  expressed  itself 
in  two  words  to  Noah  and  his  sons. 

The  New  Commission,  9.1-7.  They  receive  again  the 
original  commission  of  mankind,  are  granted  flesh  for 
food  (as  well  as  vegetation),  are  strictly  forbidden  to 
eat  blood,  and  are  henceforth  commanded  to  punish 
murder  with  death. 

The  Postdiluvian  Covenant,  9.8-17,  is  the  second  word. 
The  rainbow  was  appointed  as  the  sign  or  seal,  never 
again  a  Deluge  was  the  promise,  and  man — and  in  him 
the  animal  world — was  the  other  party.  Of  course,  as 
Noah  and  his  sons  had  seen  the  rainbow  many  times  be- 
fore the  flood,  they  understood  that  it  was  now  appointed 
a  sign,  but  not  now  for  the  first  time  created. 

The  Sons  of  Noah,  9.18,  19.  These  were  the  pro- 
genitors  of  the  earth's  inhabitants. 

The  Prophecy  of  Noah  on  his  Sons,  9.20-27.  Noah 
became  drunk.  Drunk  and  naked  he  was  discovered 
by  Ham  in  the  tent,  who  went  out  and  told  his  two 
brothers.  They  covered  him,  and  in  such  a  way  as  not 
to  see  him.  Here  is  the  contrast ;  Ham  as  compared 
with  his  brothers  was  irreverent  toward  his  father,  and 
sensual.  As  he  dishonored  his  father,  so  punishment 
falls  upon  him  as  a  father  in  a  curse  upon  his  son  (not 
upon  all  his  sons),  the  curse  of  bondage.  Likewise  re- 
ward falls  upon  Shem  and  Japheth  as  fathers  in  bless- 
ings upon  their  descendants:  Shem  is  especially  to  in- 
herit the  selective  covenant  of  Jehovah ;  and  Japheth  is 


io6      THE   DESCENDANTS   OF   NOAH 

to  be  enlarged  in  territory  and  to  share  in  the  reHgious 
advantages  of  Shem. 

A  Note  about  Noah,  9.28,  29,  Hke  the  notes  in  the 
preceding  section.  Noah  Hved  to  be  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  years  of  age. 

Doctrines. — The  hfe  of  walking  with  God  is  seen  to 
be  possible  to  men  who  die,  as  well  as  to  Enoch. 

Noah's  faith  saved  his  family,  and  through  Noah 
grace  came  to  all  mankind  as  his  descendants,  and  even 
to  the  animal  kingdom  as  associated  with  him.  Through 
Shem  and  Japheth  also  grace  came  to  their  descendants, 
while  through  Ham  a  curse  came  on  his  child.  It  is 
impossible  to  escape  the  principle  that  God  deals  in  his 
covenant  with  the  community,  and  especially  with  the 
children  through  the  parents. 

Hence  sin,  the  great  sin,  all  through  these  early  Scrip- 
tures, is  sin  as  parents  or  as  potential  parents. 

Inseparable  from  these  principles  is  the  idea  of  com- 
pact, or  covenant.  Jehovah  deals  with  men  only  through 
covenants ;  and  all  his  covenants  are  developments  and 
applications  of  his  original  covenant  of  friendship. 

While  the  rainbow  was  taken  as  the  seal  or  token  of 
his  special  covenant  with  the  new  mankind,  yet  the 
covenant  finds  its  ratification  in  the  death  of  victims 
divided  between  the  parties,  Jehovah  and  men.  First, 
man  got  only  the  skins,  and  Jehovah  the  rest ;  then  he 
accepted  the  rest  as  a  gift  from  man,  as  from  Abel,  and 
even  as  a  gift  wholly  consumed  in  fire,  as  from  Noah, — 
the  sin-offering  of  Abel  expressing  faith  in  Jehovah's 
grace  to  sinners,  and  the  burnt-offering  of  Noah  also  un- 
reserved consecration  to  his  service ;  and  now  the  way 
is  prepared,  by  the  grant  of  flesh  as  food,  to  a  fuller 
sharing  between  Jehovah  and  man,  and  therefore  to  a 
fuller  expression  of  communion.  By  prohibiting  the 
eating  of  blood  Jehovah  begins  to  bring  forward  its  dis- 
tinct significance. 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    4  lo? 

As  yet  all  clean  animals  are  used  in  sacrifice.  The 
sacrificial  and  the  clean  are  synonymous.  This  class 
would  begin  with  animals  such  as  had  skins  suitable  for 
clothing,  primarily  the  sheep,  and  would  enlarge  so  as 
to  include  others  by  analogy. 

Difficulties. — The  narrative  is  a  unit.  It  is  continuous 
except  for  that  recurring  repetition  at  transitions,  a 
characteristic  of  Hebrew  narrative.  The  narrative  of 
the  flood  is  specially  minute,  as  if  made  up  from 
memoranda  noted  down  as  the  events  occurred.  It  must 
be  understood  as  told  by  those  who  were  in  the  ark. 

Was  the  flood  universal?  The  question,  as  we  under- 
stand it,  would  have  been  unintelligible  to  Noah.  Con- 
fining ourselves  to  his  narrative,  we  can  only  say  that  it 
covered  all  the  land  as  far  as  those  in  the  ark  could  see, 
and  destroyed  all  mankind  except  Noah's  family.  There 
is  an  implication  incidentally  that  certain  classes  of  ani- 
mals (see  note  on  9.10  under  Text  above)  somewhere 
or  somehow  escaped  destruction.  Further  than  this  we 
can  neither  affirm  nor  deny  from  this  Scripture. 


SECTION  5 

10.       ^    AND    THESE    ARE    THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    THE    SONS 
OF    NOAH,    SHEM,    HAM,    AND    JAPHETH 

Sons  were  born  to  these  after  the  Deluge,  as  follows: 

2  The    sons    of    Japheth:    Gomer,    Magog,    Madai, 
Javan,  Tubal,  Meshek,  and  Tiras. 

3  The   sons   of   Gomer:     Ashkenaz,   Riphath,   and 
Togarmah. 

^  The  sons  of  Javan:  Elishah  and  Tarshish,  Kittim 
and  Dodanim. 
^  Among  the  different  nations  of  these  the   Islands  of 
the   Nations   were  distributed,   each   land  with  its   own 
language  and  its  own  races. 

^  The   sons    of   Ham:      Gush,    Misraim,    Put,   and 
Canaan. 

"^  The  sons  of  Gush :  Seba,  Havilah,  Sabtah,  Raamah, 
and  Sabtaka. 

The  sons  of  Raamah:  Sheba  and  Dedan. 
^  Gush  also  became  the  father  of  Nimrod.  He  began  to 
be  a  great  man  in  the  world,  ^  and  as  a  hunter  became 
incomparable ;  whence  comes  the  saying,  "  An  incom- 
parable hunter,  like  Nimrod."  ^^  The  beginning  of  his 
kingdom  was  at  Babel,  Erech,  Accad,  and  Galneh  in  the 
land  of  Shinar.  ^^  Out  of  that  land  Asshur  emigrated, 
and  built  Nineveh,  Rehoboth-Ir,  and  Galah.  ^^  and  Resen 
between  Nineveh  and  Galah;  this  is  the  great  city.  ^^ 
Misraim  became  the  father  of  Ludim,  Anamim,  Lehabim, 
Naphtuhim,  ^*  Pathrusim,  Casluhim, — from  whom  come 
the  Philistines, — and  Gaphtorim.     ^^  Ganaan  became  the 

io8 


SECTION    5    (10.1-11.9)  109 

father  of  Sidon,  his  eldest  son,  and  Heth,  ^^  and  of  the 
Jebusites,  Amorites,  Girgashites,  ^^  Hivvites,  Arkites, 
Sinites,  1^  Arvadites,  Semarites,  and  Hamathites.  Later 
the  Canaanite  races  were  dispersed.  ^^  The  territory 
of  the  Canaanites  extended  from  Sidon,  in  the  direction 
of  Gerar,  as  far  as  Gaza,  and,  in  the  direction  of  Sodom, 
Gomorrah,  Admah,  and  Seboiim,  as  far  as  Lasha.  20 
These  are  the  different  races,  languages,  lands,  and 
nations  of  the  sons  of  Ham. 

21  To  Shem  also,  the  father  of  the  whole  Eber  Kin, 
and  the  older  brother  of  Japheth,  sons  were  bom. 

22  The  sons  of  Shem:   Elam,  Asshur.  Arpachshad, 
Liid,  and  Aram. 

2^  The  sons  of  Aram:  Us,  Hul,  Gether,  and  Mash. 
2-*  Arpachshad  became  the  father  of  Shelah,  and  Shelah 
of  Eber.  25  Xo  Eber  were  born  two  sons.  One  of  them 
was  named  Peleg  [Division],  because  in  his  time  the 
world  was  divided;  and  his  brother's  name  was  Joktan. 
26  Joktan  became  the  father  of  Almodad,  Sheleth, 
Hazarmaveth,  Jerah,  ^7  Hadoram,  Uzal,  Diklah,  28  Obal, 
Ubimeal,  Sheba,  ^9  Ophir,  Havilah,  and  Jobab;  all  of 
these  were  sons  of  Joktan.  ^^  Their  home  extended 
from  Mesha  in  the  direction  of  Sephar  of  the  mountains 
of  the  East.  ^^  These  are  the  different  races,  languages, 
lands,  and  nations  of  the  sons  of  Shem. 

^2  These  are  the  races  of  the  sons  of  Noah,  and  the 
different  nations  of  their  descendants ;  and  from  these 
the  nations  were  distributed  over  the  world  after  the 
Deluge. 


11.  1  The  whole  world  had  the  same  speech  and  the 
same  words.  ^  ^s  they  migrated  eastward,  they  found 
a  plain  in  the  land  of  Shinar  and  settled  there.  ^  They 
said  to  one  another. 


no    DESCENDANTS    OE    SONS    OF   NOAH 

"  Come,  let  us  make  bricks^  and  fire  them  thoroughly." 
So  they  made  bricks  for  stone,  using  asphalt  for  their 
mortar. 

"^  ''  Come,"  they  said  also,  ''  let  us  build  for  ourselves 
a  city  and  a  tower  with  its  top  up  to  the  sky,  and  let  us 
set  up  a  government,  so  that  we  may  not  be  dispersed  all 
over  the  world." 

^  But  Jehovah  came  down  to  see  the  city  and  the  tower 
that  the  human  race  were  building.     ^  Then  he  said, 

"  See,  they  are  one  people,  and  have  all  one  speech. 
And  this  is  what  they  begin  to  do ;  now  there  will  be  no 
restraining  them  from  what  they  are  planning  to  do.  "^ 
Come,  let  us  go  down  and  there  confuse  their  speech,  so 
that  they  may  not  understand  the  speech  of  one  another." 

^  So  Jehovah  dispersed  them  from  there  all  over  the 
world,  and  they  left  off  building  the  city.  ^  Yov  that 
reason  it  was  named  Babel,  because  there  Jehovah  con- 
fused the  speech  of  the  world,  and  from  there  dispersed 
them  all  over  the  world. 


NOTES   TO   SECTION   5 

Text. — 10.8,  World.  Cf.  note  i.i,  Earth.  10.9,  an 
INCOMPARABLE  HUNTER.  Literally  either  "  a  great 
hunter  in  the  judgment  of  Jehovah,"  or  "  a  great  hunter 
beside,  i.e.,  even  in  comparison  with  Jehovah  " ;  an 
Oriental  idiom  for  a  hyperbolic  superlative.  Compare 
23.6,  ''  incomparable  sheikh,"  a  complimentary  title,  liter- 
ally '*  sheikh  of  God  " ;  also  30.8,  "  incomparable  wres- 
tlings " — wrestlings  of  God  ;  35.5,  "  incomparable  terror  " 
— terror  of  God.  Compare  also  Psalms  36.6,  "  moun- 
tains of  God";  Psalms  80.10,  ''cedars  of  God."  10.21, 
Eber  Kin.  Literally  ''Sons  of  Eber."  11. 5,  Human 
RACE.     Literally  "Sons  of  man."     11. 9,  Babel     .     . 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    5  iii 

Confused.  The  etymology  suggested  seems  very  doubt- 
ful in  the  Hebrew ;  but  compare  note  on  5.29,  and  see 
"  Apparently  False  Etymologies  "  in  the  Index. 

Origin. — The  Babel  account  came  down  through  the 
Semites ;  and  the  whole  section  took  its  permanent  form 
before  the  destruction  of  Sodom  (10.19),  after  the  origin 
of  Nineveh  (lo.ii)  and  of  the  Philistines  (10.14),  and 
a  generation  or  two  at  least  after  Joktan  the  son  of  Eber. 
It  therefore  belongs  not  far  from  the  time  of  Abraham, 
and  he  may  be  its  author. 

Structure. — It  consists  of  genealogical  tables,  with  an 
account  of  the  confusion  of  tongues. 

Contents. — The  Sons  of  Japheth,  10.2-5.  They  are 
assigned  to  the  islands  and  coasts. 

The  Sons  of  Ham,  10.6-20.  From  them  are  derived 
the  Babylonians,  Egyptians,  PhiHstines,  and  Canaanites, 
and  the  territory  inhabited  by  the  Canaanites  is  described. 
A  note  is  inserted,  lo.ii,  12,  about  the  origin  of  Nineveh 
and  the  Assyrians;  but  Asshur  is  not  said  to  be  a 
descendant  of  Ham.  Neither  are  the  Negroes  assigned 
to  Ham;  indeed,  they  are  not  mentioned  in  this  table, 
and  it  may  be  that  the  author  of  this  table  was  not  aware 
of  their  existence. 

The  Sons  of  Shem,  10.2 1-3 1.  It  is  noted  that  Eber 
had  two  sons,  Peleg  and  Joktan,  and  then  only  the  line 
of  Joktan  is  traced. 

Summary,  10.32. 

The  Confusion  of  Tongues,  11. 1-9.  This  is  not  dated 
after  the  development  of  these  three  lines  of  descent 
into  the  many  separate  nations,  but  is  added  to  explain 
how  this  dispersion  into  nations  came  about.  Babel, 
that  is,  Babylon  (?),  is  made  the  starting-point  whence 
the  race  split  and  dispersed  into  separate  nations. 

Fact. — The  notable  fact  recorded  is  the  sameness  of 
speech  and  the  political  unity  of  the  family  of  Noah,  and 
its   dispersion   through   diversity   of   languages. 


SECTION    6 

11.       10    THESE   ARE   THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    SHEM 

When  Shem  was  one  hundred  years  old,  he  became  the 
father  of  Arpachshad,  two  years  after  the  Deluge.  ^^ 
Shem  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of  Arpachshad  five 
hundred  years,  and  had  sons  and  daughters. 

-2  Arpachshad  lived  thirty-five  years,  and  became  the 
father  of  Shelah.  ^^  Arpachshad  lived  after  becoming 
the  father  of  Shelah  four  hundred  and  three  years,  and 
had  sons  and  daughters. 

1*  Shelah  lived  thirty  years,  and  became  the  father  of 
Eber.  ^^  Shelah  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of  Eber 
four  hundred  and  three  years,  and  had  sons  and 
daughters. 

1^  Eber  lived  thirty-four  years,  and  became  the  father 
of  Peleg.  1'^  Eber  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of 
Peleg  four  hundred  and  thirty  years,  and  had  sons  and 
daughters. 

1^  Peleg  lived  thirty  years,  and  became  the  father  of 
Reu.  1^  Peleg  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of  Reu 
two  hundred  and  nine  years,  and  had  sons  and  daughters. 

20  Reu  lived  thirty-two  years,  and  became  the  father 
of  Serug.  21  Reu  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of 
Serug  two  hundred  and  seven  years,  and  had  sons  and 
daughters. 

22  Serug  lived  thirty  years,  and  became  the  father  of 
Nahor.  23  Serug  lived  after  becoming  the  father  of 
Nahor  two  hundred  years,  and  had  sons  and  daughters. 

24  Nahor  lived  twenty-nine  years,  and  became  the 
father   of   Terah.     25   Nahor   lived   after   becoming   the 

112 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    6 


113 


father  of  Terah  one  hundred  and  nineteen  years,  and  had 
sons  and  daughters. 

26  Terah  Hved  seventy  years,  and  became  the  father 
of  Abram,  Nahor,  and  Haran. 


NOTES  TO  SECTION  6 

Text. — 1 1. 10,  When  Shem  was  one  hundred  years 
OLD,  etc.  Here  as  in  chapter  5  we  have  a  discrepancy 
between  the  figures  of  the  Hebrew  text  and  the  versions, 
as  follows: 


HEBREW.        SAMARITAN.         SEPTUAGINT.      JOSEPHUS 


Shem  .  .  .   100  100 

Arpachshad   35  135 

Kenan  (or 

Cainan)    unmentioned  unmentioned   130 


Shelah 
Eber  . 
Peleg 
Reu    . 

Serug 
Nahor 
Terah 


30 
34 
30 
32 
30 
29 

70 


130 

134 
130 
132 
130 

79 
70 


100 

100 

135 

135 

130 

unmentioned 

130 

130 

134 

134 

130 

130 

132 

130 

130 

132 

179 

130 

70 

70 

390  1040  1270  I 09 I 

So  in  10.24  the  Septuagint  inserts  Kenan.  It  should 
also  be  noted  that  Luke  in  his  genealogy  of  Christ's  an- 
cestors includes  Kenan  or  Cainan,  agreeing  with  the 
Septuagint.  With  these  evidences  before  us,  we  cannot 
build  on  the  table  for  exact  chronology,  nor  be  certain 
how  many  generations  may  be  omitted.  And  where 
there  is  an  omission,  the  figure  before  the  omission  must 
be  understood  as  the  age  at  the  birth  of  the  immediate 
son,  although  the  name  of  this  immediate  son  is  omitted. 


114       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    SHEM 

11.26,  Terah  lived  seventy  years  and  became  the 
FATHER  OF  Abram,  etc.  We  cannot  assume  from  this 
conventional  form  of  expression  that  all  of  Terah's  sons 
were  born  in  his  seventieth  year,  any  more  than  that  all 
three  of  Noah's  sons  were  born  in  his  five  hundredth 
year;  nor  can  we  assume  that  Abram  was  the  oldest.  If 
we  take  the  beginning  of  the  next  section  as  implying,  as 
it  would  naturally  seem  to  do  (and  as  Stephen  evidently 
•understood  it  in  Acts  7.4),  that  Terah  was  dead  when 
Abram  left  Haran  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  (12.4),  he 
must  have  been  born  after  Terah's  130th  year. 

Origin. — The  material  of  the  section  belonged  in  the 
table  of  10. 1-32,  where  the  descendants  of  Eber  are  not 
traced.  This  section,  then,  probably  has  the  same  au- 
thor as  the  preceding  one,  perhaps  Abram. 

Form. — It  is  a  genealogical  table  constructed  on  the 
model,  somewhat  abbreviated,  of  that  in  5.1-32. 

Content. — Just  as  that  table  lists  ten  patriarchs,  so,  if 
we  include  Kenan,  does  this  one;  and  just  as  that  one 
mentions  three  sons  of  its  last  patriarch,  Noah,  so  this 
has  three  sons  of  its  last  patriarch,  Terah.  This  corre- 
spondence in  numbers  is  an  additional  reason  for  think- 
ing that  there  have  been  omissions.  At  any  rate,  we  can- 
not assume  the  purpose  of  the  inspired  narrator  to  have 
been  that  of  giving  a  means  of  computing  the  chronology 
of  the  ancient  world.  His  purpose  was  rather  to  estab- 
lish the  ancestry  of  the  divinely  selected  nation,  and  that 
he  has  secured  whether  or  no  the  genealogy  is  com- 
plete. 

Facts. — The  ages  have  diminished.  The  ages  of  the 
patriarchs  at  the  births  of  their  sons  are  100,  35,  30,  34, 
30,  32,  30,  29,  70;  and  their  ages  at  death  are  600,  438, 
433,  464,  239,  239,  230,  148, . 

The  Names  of  God. — It  is  here  timely  to  inquire  con- 
cerning the  use  of  the  names  "  God "  (Elohim)  and 
"  Jehovah." 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    6  115 

In  Section  i  we  have  only  Elohim,  the  name  Jehovah 
not  having  yet  originated. 

In  Section  2  we  find  the  divine  nomenclature  in  what 
looks  at  first  like  a  state  of  confusion.  The  facts  are 
these.  In  direct  discourse  throughout  (3.1,  3,  5;  4-25) 
we  find  only  Elohim,  except  in  4.1,  where  Eve  applies 
the  name  Jehovah,  in  its  etymological  sense,  to  Cain. 
This  picture  of  the  usage  agrees  with  the  statement  made 
in  4.26,  where  we  are  told  that  the  name  Jehovah  first 
began  to  be  applied  to  God  in  the  days  of  Enosh  the  son 
of  Seth,  when  the  separation  between  the  Cainites  and 
Sethites  had  become  pronounced.  Outside  of  direct  dis- 
course the  narrator  uses  the  combination  Jehovah  Elohim 
(found  nowhere  else  in  Genesis)  throughout  the  first 
part  of  the  section  (2.4 — 3.24),  but  in  the  second  part 
only  Jehovah  (4.1-26).  It  would  seem  probable  that  the 
first  part  was  composed  originally  before  the  use  of 
Jehovah  arose,  and  had  at  first  only  Elohim ;  while  the 
second,  composed  after  Enosh's  day,  used  the  new  name 
Jehovah ;  and  that  in  order  to  identify  the  two  names 
Jehovah  was  later  prefixed  to  Elohim  in  the  first  part  ex- 
cept in  quoted  matter.  The  new  name  manifestly  des- 
ignated God  as  in  covenant  with  his  chosen  people  over 
against  others. 

In  Section  3,  which  must  have  begun  in  the  time  of 
Adam  before  the  name  Jehovah  originated,  we  have 
Elohim  throughout,  except  (5.29)  where  Lamech  the 
Sethite,  who  lived  after  Enosh,  speaks,  and  except  where 
Jehovah  proposes  grace  to  Noah  and  destruction  to  the 
rest. 

In  Section  4  we  have  Elohim  generally,  especially  in 
the  covenant  with  all  corporeal  life  (9.8-19),  and  ap- 
propriately ;  but  it  is  Jehovah  that  calls  his  favored  Noah 
into  the  ark  (7.1,  5),  and  shuts  him  in  (7.16).  To 
Jehovah,  his  God  of  distinguishing  grace,  Noah  built  an 
altar  (8.20),  and  by  him  was  accepted  (8.21).  In  9.26, 
"Blessed  be  Jehovah,  the  God  (Elohim)  of  Shem ;  Let 


ii6       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   SHEM 

Canaan  be  his  servant.  Let  God  make  room  for  Ja- 
pheth,"  etc.,  there  is  a  nice  discrimination,  since  Jehovah 
is  to  stand  in  a  distinct  union  with  Shem  as  not  with 
Japheth. 

In  Section  5  we  have  only  Jehovah.  It  occurs  once 
in  a  quotation  (10.9),  and  is  also  used  in  the  account  of 
the  dispersion,  which  is  thereby  represented  as  done 
by  the  Covenant  Friend  of  the  Shemites. 

In  Section  6  neither  term  occurs. 

The  interchange  of  these  terms,  therefore,  instead  of 
arguing  for  the  piecing  of  several  documents  together, 
strongly  favors  the  integrity  and  unity  of  each  successive 
narrative. 


SECTION   7 

11.  2^   AND  THESE   ARE  THE  DESCENDANTS  OF   TERAH 

Terah  became  the  father  of  Abram,  Nahor,  and 
Haran.  Haran  became  the  father  of  Lot.  ^8  Haran 
died  in  the  presence  of  his  father  Terah  in  Ur  of  the 
Chaldeans,  his  native  land.  ^9  Abram  and  Nahor 
married,  the  name  of  Abram's  wife  being  Sarai,  and  the 
name  of  Nahor's  Milcah,  the  daughter  of  Haran,  who 
was  father  of  both  Milcah  and  Iscah.  ^o  Sarai  was 
barren  and  had  no  children. 

^1  Then  Terah  took  his  son  Abram,  his  grandson  Lot, 
the  son  of  Haran,  and  his  son  Abram's  wife  Sarai,  and 
emigrated  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldeans  for  Canaan.  They 
came  as  far  as  Haran,  and  settled  there.  ^^  "WTien  the 
life  of  Terah  had  lasted  two  hundred  and  five  years,  he 
died  in  Haran. 

12.  1  Jehovah  said  to  Abram,  "  Migrate  from  your 
country,  birthplace,  and  father's  home  to  the  country  that 
I  will  show  you ;  ^  and  let  me  make  you  into  a  great 
nation,  bless  you,  and  make  great  your  name.  Be  a 
blessing:  ^  let  me  bless  those  who  bless  you  and  curse 
him  who  curses  you ;  and  let  all  the  races  on  the  *  ground  ' 
be  blessed  in  you." 

*  So  Abram  migrated  as  Jehovah  told  him,  and  Lot 
migrated  with  him.  Abram  was  seventy-five  years  old 
when  he  emigrated  from  Haran.  ^  He  took  his  wife 
Sarai,  his  brother's  son  Lot,  and  all  the  property  they 

117 


ii8      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

had  acquired  and  the  people  they  had  procured  in  Haran, 
and  emigrated  for  Canaan;  and  to  Canaan  they  came. 

^  Abram  passed  through  the  country  to  where  Shechem 
was,  at  the  Oak  of  Moreh.  At  that  time  the  Canaanites 
were  in  the  country.  "^  Then  Jehovah  appeared  to  Abram, 
and  said, 

"This  country  I  will  give  to  your  offspring." 
There  he  built  an  altar  to  Jehovah  who  appeared  to 
him.  ^  Leaving  that  place  for  the  mountain  region  that 
lies  east  of  Bethel,  he  tented,  with  Bethel  on  the  west 
and  Ai  on  the  east.  There  also  he  built  an  altar  to 
Jehovah  and  called  Jehovah  by  name  in  prayer.  ^  Then 
he  traveled  on  toward  the  South. 


1^  There  was  a  famine  in  the  country.  When  it  be- 
came severe  in  the  country,  Abram  went  down  to  Egypt, 
there  to  live  an  alien.  H  When  about  to  enter  Egypt, 
he  said  to  his  wife  Sarai, 

"  Look  now, — I  know  that  you  are  a  beautiful  woman, 
— ^-  it  will  come  about  when  the  Egyptians  see  you  that 
they  will  say, 

*  This  is  his  wife,' 
and  will  kill  me,  keeping  you  alive.     ^^  Will  you  not  say 
that  you  are  my  sister,  so  that  for  your  sake  I  may  be 
well   treated,   and   on   account   of  you  my  life   may  be 
saved?  " 

1*  So  it  came  about  that,  as  soon  as  Abram  had  entered 
Egypt,  the  Egyptians  saw  that  the  woman  was  very  beau- 
tiful. 15  The  chief  officers  of  Pharaoh  saw  her  and 
praised  her  to  Pharaoh,  and  the  woman  was  taken  into 
Pharaoh's  household.  ^^  For  her  sake  Abram  was  well 
treated:  sheep,  goats,  cattle,  donkeys,  male  and  female 
slaves,  she-donkeys,  and  camels  became  his. 


SECTION    7    (ii. 27-25.11)  119 

^'^  But  Jehovah  sent  great  calamities  upon  Pharaoh 
and  his  household  on  account  of  Abram's  wife  Sarai. 
^^  Then  Pharaoh  summoned  Abram,  and  said, 

"  What  is  this  you  have  done  to  me  ?  Why  did  you 
not  tell  me  that  she  was  your  wife  ?     ^^  Why  did  you  say, 

*  She  is  my  sister,' 
and  so  lead  me  to  marry  her?     Now  then,  there  your 
wife  is ;  take  her  and  go." 

2^  Then  Pharaoh  gave  orders  about  him  to  some  of  his 
men,  and  they  sent  him  away,  with  his  wife  and  all  that 
belonged  to  him. 

13.  1  Then  Abram,  with  his  wife  and  all  that  was  his, 
and  with  Lot  also,  came  up  from  Egypt  into  the  South, 
2  very  rich  in  live  stock,  silver,  and  gold.  ^  From  the 
South  he  went  in  the  course  of  his  traveling  as  far  as 
Bethel,  and  as  far  as  the  place  where  he  had  tented  at 
first  between  Bethel  and  Ai,  *  to  the  place  of  the  altar 
that  he  had  originally  made  there.  There  Abram  called 
Jehovah  by  name  in  prayer. 

^  Lot  also,  who  went  with  Abram,  had  sheep,  goats, 
cattle,  and  tents.  ^  But  the  country  would  not  support 
them  living  together.  "^  So  a  quarrel  arose  between  the 
herders  of  Abram's  stock  and  the  herders  of  Lot's  stock 
— the  Canaanites  and  Perizzites  being  at  that  time  in  the 
country.     ^  Then  Abram  said  to  Lot, 

**  Let  there  be  no  quarreling,  I  beg  you,  between  me 
and  you,  or  between  my  herders  and  yours,  for  we  are 
kinsmen.  ^  Is  not  the  whole  country  before  you? 
Separate  from  me,  will  you  not?  if  to  the  left,  then  I  to 
the  right,  or  if  to  the  right,  then  I  to  the  left." 

1^  When  Lot  raised  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  whole  Circle 
of  the  Jordan, — and  the  whole  of  it  was  well-watered, 
before  Jehovah  destroyed  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  like  the 


I20      THE   DESCENDANTS   OF   TERAH 

Garden  of  Jehovah,  or  the  land  of  Egypt  in  the  direction 
of  Soar, — 1^  he  chose  the  whole  Circle  of  the  Jordan  for 
himself.  So  Lot  traveled  eastward,  and  they  separated. 
^2  While  Abram  lived  in  Canaan,  Lot  lived  in  the  towns 
of  the  Circle,  pitching  tent  from  place  to  place  on  as  far 
as  Sodom, — ^^  although  the  people  of  Sodom  were  ex- 
tremely bad  and  delinquent  toward  Jehovah. 

1^  After  Lot  had  separated  from  him,  Jehovah  said  to 
Abram, 

"  Raise  your  eyes  now,  and  from  the  place  where  you 
are  look  north  and  south  and  east  and  west.  ^^  All  the 
land  that  you  see  I  will  give  to  you,  and  to  your  off- 
spring, perpetually.  ^^  I  will  also  make  your  offspring 
like  the  dust  of  the  earth;  so  that  if  one  can  count  the 
dust  of  the  earth,  then  may  your  offspring  also  be 
counted.  ^"^  Set  out  and  walk  about  in  the  land,  through 
its  length  and  breadth ;  for  to  you  I  will  give  it." 

1^  So  Abram  pitched  tent  from  place  to  place,  till  he 
came  and  settled  among  the  Oaks  of  Mamre  that  are  in 
Hebron.    There  he  built  an  altar  to  Jehovah. 


14.  1  It  came  about  in  the  time  of  Amraphel,  King 
of  Shinar,  Arioch,  King  of  Ellasar,  Kedorlaomer,  King 
of  Elam,  and  Tidal,  King  of  Goiim,  ^  that  these  were 
engaged  in  a  war  with  Bera,  King  of  Sodom,  Birsha, 
King  of  Gomorrah,  Shinab,  King  of  Admah,  Shemeber, 
King  of  Seboiim,  and  the  King  of  Bela,  that  is,  Soar. 
2  The  latter  were  all  confederated  in  the  Valley  of  Sid- 
dim,  that  is,  the  Sea  of  Salt.  ^  They  had  been  subject  to 
Kedorlaomer  for  twelve  years,  but  the  thirteenth  year 
had  rebelled.  ^  In  the  fourteenth  year  Kedorlaomer  and 
the  kings  who  were  his  allies  made  an  invasion.  They 
made  a   raid  through  the  Rephaim  in  Ashteroth-Kar- 


SECTION    7    (11.27-25. ii)  121 

naim,  the  Zuzim  in  Ham,  the  Emim  in  the  Plain  of 
Kiriathaim,  ^  and  the  Horites  in  the  mountain  region  of 
Seir,  as  far  as  El-Paran,  which  is  by  the  wilderness. 
■^  Then  they  turned,  and  came  to  Enmishpat,  that  is, 
Kadesh,  and  raided  all  the  territory  of  the  Amalekites, 
and  also  the  Amorites  who  inhabited  Hazazon-Tamar. 


^  Then  the  King  of  Sodom,  the  King  of  Gomorrah, 
the  King  of  Admah,  the  King  of  Seboiim,  and  the  King 
of  Bela,  that  is.  Soar,  marched  out  and  joined  battle 
with  them  in  the  Valley  of  Siddim, — ^  with  Kedorlaomer, 
King  of  Elam,  Tidal,  King  of  Goiim,  Amraphel,  King  of 
Shinar,  and  Arioch,  King  of  Ellasar, — four  kings  with 
five.  10  Now  the  Valley  of  Siddim  was  studded  with 
wells  of  asphalt,  and  when  the  kings  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  fled,  they  fell  into  them.  Those  who  survived 
fled  to  the  mountains.  ^^  Then  they  took  all  the  prop- 
erty of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and  all  their  provisions, 
and  departed.  ^^  They  took  also  on  their  departure  the 
person  and  property  of  Lot,  Abram's  nephew,  who  was 
living  in  Sodom. 

1^  But  one  who  had  escaped  came  and  told  Abram 
the  Hebrew,  who  was  making  his  home  among  the  Oaks 
of  Mamre  the  Amorite,  the  brother  of  both  Eshcol  and 
Aner,  these  being  in  compact  with  Abram.  ^^  When 
Abram  heard  that  his  kinsman  had  been  taken  prisoner, 
he  mustered  his  trained  soldiers,  men  born  in  his  house- 
hold, numbering  three  hundred  and  eighteen,  and  pur- 
sued as  far  as  Dan.  ^^  There  he  and  his  subordinates 
divided  their  forces  against  them,  by  night,  and  routed 
them,  and  pursued  them  as  far  as  Hobah,  which  is  on 
the  left  of  Damascus.  ^^  All  the  property  he  brought 
back,  and  also  his  kinsman  Lot,  as  well  as  the  women 
and  the  citizens. 


122      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

^'^  On  his  return  after  routing  Kedorlaomer  and  the 
kings  who  were  his  aUies,  the  King  of  Sodom  came  out 
to  meet  him  at  the  Valley  of  Shaveh^  that  is,  the  King's 
Valley.  ^^  Melchizedek,  King  of  Salem,  also,  who  was  a 
priest  of  El  Elyon  [God  Most  High],  brought  out  food 
and  wine,  ^^  and  blessed  him  in  these  words: 

2^  ''  Blessed  be  Abram  by  El  Elyon,  Owner  of  Heaven 
and  Earth ; 

And  blessed  be  El  Elyon,  who  hath  made  thee  a  pres- 
ent of  thine  enemies." 
To  him  he  gave  a  tenth  of  everything. 

i 

21  The  King  of  Sodom  also  said  to  Abram, 

"  Give  me  the  people,  and  you  take  the  property." 

22  But  Abram  said  to  the  King  of  Sodom, 

"  I  raise  my  hand  to  Jehovah,  El  Elyon,  Owner  of 
Heaven  and  Earth,  with  this  oath :  23  not  to  take  a  thread 
or  even  a  shoestring, — not  to  take  anything  at  all  that 
belongs  to  you,   for  fear  that  you  may  say, 

'  I  made  Abram  rich/ 
— 24  barring  only  what  the  young  men  have  eaten,  and 
the  share  of  the  men  who  went  with  me,  Aner,  Eshcol, 
and  Mamre;  let  them  have  their  share." 


15.  1  After  these  events  Jehovah's  Word  came  to 
Abram  to  this  effect: 

"  Do  not  fear,  Abram.  I  am  myself  your  shield,  and 
your  reward  is  a  great  and  signal  one." 

2  "  Lord  Jehovah,"  said  Abram,  "  what  is  it  that  you 
give  me,  so  long  as  I  go  childless,  and  the  future  pos- 
sessor of  my  house  is  Eliezer,  a  Damascene?" 

^  "  See,"  Abram  continued,  "  to  me  you  have  given  no 
offspring.  Now  one  born  in  my  household  is  to  be  my 
heir." 


SECTION    7    ( 1 1. 27-25.11)  123 

^  Then  indeed  Jehovah's  Word  came  to  him  to  this 
effect : 

"  This  man  shall  not  be  your  heir.  Your  heir  shall 
be  one  who  will  come  from  your  own  body." 

5  He  also  took  him  out  of  doors,  and  said, 
"  Look  now  at  the  sky,  and  count  the  stars,  if  you  can 
count  them." 

"  So  many,"  he  said  to  him,  "  shall  your  offspring  be." 
^  He  continued  to  trust  Jehovah ;  and  this  Jehovah  re- 
garded as  being  uprightness  on  his  part. 

"^  Then  he  said  to  him, 

"  I  am  Jehovah  who  brought  you  out  of  Ur  of  the 
Chaldeans  in  order  to  give  you  this  country  to  possess." 

8  "  Lord  Jehovah,"  he  said,  "  by  what  shall  I  know 
that  I  shall  possess  it  ?  " 

^  "  Get  me  a  heifer  three  years  old,"  he  answered  him, 
"  a  she-goat  three  years  old,  a  ram  three  years  old,  a 
dove,  and  a  young  pigeon." 

1^  All  of  these  he  got  for  him,  and  dividing  each  of 
them  in  half,  except  the  birds,  laid  each  half  opposite 
its  corresponding  half.  ^^  When  birds  of  prey  came 
down  upon  the  carcasses,  Abram  drove  them  away. 

12  But  just  before  sunset,  a  deep  sleep  had  fallen  upon 
Abram,  when  suddenly  there  fell  on  him  a  horrible  great 
darkness,  ^^  and  it  was  said  to  him, 

"  Know  certainly  that  your  offspring  shall  be  aliens 
in  a  country  not  their  own,  there  to  be  enslaved  and  ill- 
treated  four  hundred  years.  ^^  But  I  myself  am  going 
to  judge  the  nation  to  which  they  are  to  be  enslaved; 
and  after  that  they  shall  emigrate  with  much  property. 
^5  But  you  shall  go  to  your  ancestors  in  peace ;  you  shall 
be  buried  in  a  happy  old  age.  ^^  They,  too,  shall  return 
here  in  the  fourth  generation." 


124      THE    DESCENDANTS   OF   TERAH 
For  the  sin  of  the  Amorites  was  not  yet  consummated. 

1^  Later,  after  sunset,  when  it  was  dark,  suddenly 
there  passed  between  those  pieces  a  smoking  oven  and  a 
flame  of  fire.  ^^  j^  ^^g  at  that  time  that  Jehovah  made 
a  compact  with  Abram  in  these  terms : 

"  This  country  I  will  give  to  your  oflfspring,  from  the 
River  of  Egypt  to  the  Great  River,  the  River  Euphrates, 
— 1^  the  territory  of  the  Kenites,  Kenizzites,  Kadmonites, 
20  Hittites,  Perizzites,  Rephaim,  ^i  Amorites,  Canaanites, 
Girgashites,  and  Jebusites." 


16.  1  Abram's  wife  Sarai  bore  him  no  children.  But 
she  had  an  Egyptian  maid  whose  name  was  Hagar.  ^ 
Then  Sarai  said  to  Abram, 

*'  See  now,  Jehovah  has  precluded  me  from  childbear- 
ing.  If  you  please,  live  with  my  maid ;  perhaps  I  may 
have  children  by  her." 

Abram  consented  to  Sarai's  proposal.  ^  It  was  after 
he  had  been  living  in  Canaan  thirteen  years,  that  his 
wife  Sarai  took  her  Egyptian  maid  Hagar  and  gave  her 
to  her  husband  Abram  as  his  wife. 

'*  So  he  lived  with  Hagar  and  she  conceived ;  but  when 
she  saw  that  she  was  going  to  have  a  child,  she  looked 
on  her  mistress  with  scorn.    ^  Then  Sarai  said  to  Abram, 

"  This  outrage  to  me  is  your  fault.  I  gave  you  my 
maid  into  your  arms ;  and  now  that  she  sees  that  she  is 
going  to  have  a  child,  she  looks  on  me  with  scorn.  Let 
Jehovah  judge  between  you  and  me." 

^  "  Well,"  said  Abram  to  Sarai,  "  your  maid  is  in  your 
own  hands.     Do  what  you  please  with  her." 

Then  Sarai  ill-treated  her,  so  that  she  ran  away  from 
her. 


SECTION    7    ( 1 1. 27-25.11)  125 

^  But  the  Messenger  of  Jehovah  found  her  by  a  foun- 
tain of  water  in  the  Wilderness,  the  fountain  on  the  road 
to  Shur. 

^  "  Hagar,"  he  said,  "  where  have  you,  Sarai's  maid, 
come  from?  and  where  are  you  going?  " 

"  I  am  running  away,"  she  said,  '*  from  my  mistress." 

^  "  Return  to  your  mistress,"  the  Messenger  of 
Jehovah  said  to  her,  "  and  submit  to  her  ill-treatment." 

^^  "  I  will  make  your  offspring  surpassingly  numerous," 
continued  the  Messenger  of  Jehovah,  "  so  that  they  can- 
not be  counted." 

^^  "  See,"  the  Messenger  of  Jehovah  went  on  to  her, 
"  you  have  conceived,  and  you  will  have  a  son.  You 
shall  name  him  Ishmael  [God-Listens],  for  Jehovah 
has  listened  to  your  ill-treatment.  ^^  He  shall  be  a 
wild  ass  of  a  man,  with  his  hand  against  all  men  and 
every  man's  hand  against  him ;  and  yet  in  the  face  of  all 
his  brothers  he  shall  make  his  home." 

1^  She  named  Jehovah  who  spoke  to  her  Attah-El-Roi 
[Thou-God-of-My-Seeing]  ;  for  she  said, 

"  Have  I,  even  here,  had  a  glimpse  of  him  who  sees 
me?" 

1*  From  that  the  well  was  named  Beer-Lahai-Roi 
[Well-of-Him-Who-Lives-and-Sees-Me].  There  it  is, 
between  Kadesh  and  Bered. 

1^  So  Hagar  bore  Abram  a  son,  and  Abram  named  his 
son  that  Hagar  bore  Ishmael.  ^^  Abram  was  eighty-six 
years  old  when  Hagar  bore  him  Ishmael. 


17.     ^    When    Abram    was    ninety-nine    years    old, 
Jehovah  appeared  to  him  and  said  to  him, 

"I  am  El  Shaddai  [God  Almighty].    In  my  presence 


126      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

live  your  life,  and  let  it  be  exemplary.     2  Let  me  grant 
my  compact  between  myself  and  you,  and  let  me  make 
you  surpassingly  numerous." 
2  Abram  prostrated  himself. 

God  went  on  speaking  to  him,  and  said, 

*  "  For  my  part,  here  is  my  compact  with  you.  You 
shall  become  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations.  ^  No 
longer  shall  you  be  named  Abram  [Exalted-Father]  ;  but 
your  name  shall  be  Abraham  [Father-of-Multitude],  for 
father  of  a  multitude  of  nations  I  make  you.  ^  I  will 
make  you  surpassingly  fruitful;  I  will  make  you  into 
nations,  and  kings  shall  come  from  you.  '^  I  will  es- 
tablish my  compact  between  myself  and  you  and  your 
offspring  after  you  throughout  their  generations, — a  per- 
petual compact  to  be  God  to  you  and  your  offspring  after 
you.  ^  I  will  give  you  and  your  offspring  after  you  the 
country  where  you  have  lived  an  alien,  the  whole  of 
Canaan,  to  hold  in  perpetuity ;  and  I  will  be  their  God." 

9  "  For  your  part,"  God  said  further  to  Abraham,  "  you 
shall  keep  my  compact,  you  and  your  offspring  after  you 
throughout  their  generations.  ^^  This  is  the  compact 
that  you  [plural]  shall  keep  between  me  and  you  [pi.] 
and  your  [sing.]  offspring  after  you   [sing.]  : 

11  You  [pi.]  shall  have  every  male  circumcised.  You 
shall  cut  off  the  flesh  of  your  foreskin,  and  let  it  be  the 
seal  of  compact  between  me  and  you.  ^^  You  shall  have 
every  male  circumcised  when  eight  days  old,  through- 
out your  generations,  whether  he  is  bom  in  your  house- 
hold or  even  any  foreigner  bought  with  money,  who  is 
not  one  of  your  offspring.  ^^  Circumcised  he  shall  be, 
whether  born  in  your  household  or  bought  with  your 
money.  My  compact  shall  be  sealed  in  your  flesh,  a  per- 
petual compact.  1*  An  uncircumcised  male,  one  the  flesh 
of  whose  foreskin  has  not  been  cut  off^  any  such  person 


SECTION    7    (11.27-25. II)  127 

shall  be  severed  from  his  people ;  he  has  broken  my  com- 
pact." 

15  "  Your  wife  Sarai,"  God  said  to  Abraham  also,  "  you 
shall  no  longer  name  Sarai ;  but  her  name  shall  be  Sarah 
[Princess].  ^^  I  will  bless  her,  and  I  will  also  give  you 
a  son  by  her.  I  will  bless  her ;  she  shall  become  nations, 
and  kings  of  peoples  shall  come  from  her." 

1"^  Abraham  prostrated  himself,  laughing;  and  he  said 
to  himself, 

"  Is  a  child  to  be  born  to  a  man  one  hundred  years  old ! 
and  is  Sarah  to  bear,  who  is  ninety  years  old !  " 

1^  Then  Abraham  said  to  God, 
"  Would  that  Ishmael  might  live  in  your  favor !  " 
19  "  Your  wife  Sarah,"  God  replied,  "  shall  certainly 
bear  you  a  son,  whom  you  shall  name  Isaac  [Laughter]. 
With  him  I  will  establish  my  compact,  as  a  perpetual 
compact  extending  to  his  offspring  after  him.  20  Con- 
cerning Ishmael,  too,  I  grant  your  request.  I  will  bless 
him  indeed ;  I  will  make  him  fruitful  and  surpassingly 
numerous.  He  shall  become  the  father  of  twelve  sheikhs, 
and  I  will  make  him  into  a  great  nation.  21  Yet  my  com- 
pact I  will  establish  with  Isaac,  whom  Sarah  shall  bear 
to  you  at  this  time  next  year." 

22  So  when  God  had  finished  talking  with  Abraham, 
he  ascended  from  him. 

23  Then  Abraham  took  his  son  Ishmael,  and  all  those 
bom  in  his  household,  and  all  bought  with  his  money, — 
every  male  among  those  of  his  household, — and  cut  off 
the  flesh  of  their  foreskins  on  that  very  day,  as  God  told 
him.  24  Abraham  was  ninety-nine  years  old,  25  ^nd 
Ishmael  thirteen,  when  the  flesh  of  their  foreskins  was 
cut  off. 

26  Thus  were  Abraham  and  his  son  Ishmael  circum- 


128      THE    DESCENDANTS   OF    TERAH 

cised  on  that  very  day;  ^7  and  thus  all  the  men  of  his 
household,  whether  born  in  his  household  or  foreigners 
bought  with  money,  were  circumcised  with  him. 


18.  ^  Jehovah  appeared  to  him  also  among  the  Oaks 
of  Mamre,  while  he  was  sitting  at  the  tent-door  in  the 
heat  of  the  day.  ^  He  looked  up,  and  there  he  saw  three 
men  standing  near  by.  When  he  saw  them,  he  ran  from 
his  tent-door  to  meet  them  and  bowed  low. 

3  "  Your  Excellency,"  said  he,  ''  if  I  may  have  your 
good  will,  I  beg  that  you  will  not  pass  by  your  servant's. 
^  Permit  a  little  water  to  be  brought,  will  you  not?  and 
wash  your  feet,  and  rest  under  the  tree.  ^  Permit  me, 
too,  to  get  a  bit  of  food,  and  take  some  refreshment,  and 
after  that  you  may  pass  on  by.  Surely  otherwise  you 
would  not  have  come  past  your  servant's." 

"  Do  as  you  say,"  they  answered. 

^  Then  Abraham  hastened  into  the  tent  to  Sarah,  and 
said, 

"  Make  haste  with  three  pecks  of  flour ;  knead  it  up 
and  make  cakes." 

'^  Then  he  ran  to  the  herd,  took  a  good  tender  calf,  and 
gave  it  to  an  attendant,  who  quickly  prepared  it.  ^  He 
took  curds,  milk,  and  the  calf  he  had  prepared,  and 
placed  it  before  them,  standing  by  them  under  the  tree 

as  they  ate. 

1. 

9  "Where  is  your  wife  Sarah?"  they  said  to  him. 

"  There  in  the  tent,"  he  answered. 

1^  "I  will  return  to  you,"  he  said;  "I  will  return  to 
you  at  the  time  of  conception.  Your  wife  Sarah  "  (and 
Sarah  at  the  tent-door  behind  him  heard  him)  "  shall  in- 
deed have  a  son." 

^1  Abraham  and  Sarah  were  old  and  advanced  in  vears. 


SECTION    7    (ii. 27-25.11)  129 

Sarah  being  past  the  age  of  childbearing.     ^^  Sq  Sarah 
laughed  to  herself,  and  said, 

"  Now  that  I  have  grown  old,  am  I  to  have  pleasure, 
my  master  being  old  also  ?  " 

12  Then  Jehovah  said  to  Abraham, 

"  Why  does  Sarah  laugh,  and  say, 

'  Is  it  really  true  that  I  shall  bear  when  I  am  old  ?  ' 
1^  Is  anything  too  wonderful  for  Jehovah  ?  In  due  time 
I  will  return  to  you  at  the  time  of  conception,  and  Sarah 
shall  have  a  son." 

15  Then  Sarah  denied  it. 

"  I  did  not  laugh,"  she  said,  for  she  was  afraid. 

"  Yes,  but  you  did,"  he  said. 

1^  Then  the  men  rose  to  go,  and  looked  out  over  Sodom, 
while  Abraham  went  with  them  to  escort  them  away. 
1^  Now  Jehovah  had  said, 

"  Shall  I  conceal  from  Abraham  what  I  am  going  to 
do,  ^^ — from  Abraham,  who  is  to  become  a  great  and 
powerful  nation,  and  in  whom  all  the  nations  of  the  world 
are  to  be  blessed  ?  ^^  For  I  have  cared  for  him  in  order 
that  he  may  so  command  his  children  and  his  family  after 
him  that  they  will  stay  in  Jehovah's  Road,  doing  right 
and  justice,  in  order  that  Jehovah  may  bring  about  for 
Abraham  what  he  has  spoken  of  him." 

20  So  Jehovah  said,  "  So  great  is  the  outcry  against 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  so  very  grave  is  their  short- 
coming, 21  that  I  am  now  about  to  go  down  to  see 
whether  they  have  done  quite  according  to  the  outcry 
that  has  come  to  me,  and  if  not,  to  know  it." 

22  Thereupon  the  men  turned  away  and  went  toward 
Sodom,  while  Abraham  was  still  standing  before 
Jehovah. 

23  Then  Abraham  approached  and  said, 

"  Can  it  be  that  you  will  sweep  away  the  upright  with 


I30      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

the  wicked?  ^4  Suppose  there  are  in  the  town  fifty  up- 
right men ;  can  it  be  that  you  will  sweep  away  the  place 
and  not  spare  it  for  the  sake  of  the  fifty  upright  men  in 
it?  25  ii  is  unthinkable  that  you  should  act  in  this  way, 
— should  put  the  upright  to  death  along  with  the  wicked, 
and  let  the  upright  be  just  as  the  wicked!  It  is  un- 
thinkable of  you  !  The  Judge  of  all  the  world,  shall  he 
not  do  justice?  " 

2^  "  If  I  find  in  Sodom  fifty  upright  men,  inside  the 
town,"  replied  Jehovah,  "  I  will  spare  the  whole  place 
for  their  sake." 

2''  But  Abraham  made  this  reply: 

"  See  now  how  I  have  dared  to  speak  to  the  Lord,  al- 
though I  am  dust  and  ashes !  ^8  g^^j-  suppose  the  fifty 
upright  men  are  five  short,  will  you  for  just  five  destroy 
the  whole  town  ?  " 

'*  I  will  not  destroy  it,"  he  answered,  *'  if  I  find  there 
forty-five." 

29  "  But  suppose,"  he  persisted,  "  that  forty  are  found 
there?" 

"  I  will  not  do  it  for  the  sake  of  the  forty,"  he  replied. 

2^  "  Do  not  be  irritated,  I  pray  you,  Lord !  "  he  said, 
"  but  let  me  speak.     Suppose  thirty  are  found  there  ?  " 

"  I  will  not  do  it,"  he  answered,  "  if  I  find  thirty  there." 

^1  "  See  now  how  I  have  dared  to  speak  to  the  Lord !  " 
he  said.     ''  Suppose  twenty  are  found  there?  " 

"  I  will  not  destroy  it  for  the  sake  of  the  twenty,"  he 
replied. 

22  "  Do  not  be  irritated,  I  pray  you,  Lord,"  he  said, 
"  but  let  me  speak  just  once  more.  Suppose  ten  are 
found  there?  " 

He  answered,  "  I  will  not  destroy  it  for  the  sake  of  the 
ten." 

22  When  he  had  finished  talking  with  Abraham, 
Jehovah  went  away ;  and  Abraham  went  back  to  the  place 
where  he  had  been. 


SECTION    7    (11.27-25. II)  131 

19.  1  The  two  Messengers  entered  Sodom  in  the  even- 
ing, when  Lot  was  sitting  in  the  gateway.  When  Lot 
saw  them  he  rose  to  meet  them,  and  bowed  very  low. 

2  "  Your  Excellencies,"  he  said,  "  be  pleased  to  stop 
at  your  servant's  house  and  spend  the  night,  and  wash 
your  feet ;  and  you  may  rise  early  and  go  on  your  way." 

"  No,"  they  said ;  ''  we  will  spend  the  night  in  the  pub- 
lic square." 

2  But  he  insisted  so  much,  that  they  stopped  with  him 
and  went  into  his  house.  Then  he  gave  them  entertain- 
ment, baking  cakes  without  leaven,  and  they  ate. 

^  But  they  had  not  lain  down  before  the  townsmen,  the 
Sodomites,  surrounded  the  house,  old  as  well  as  young, 
all  the  people,  even  from  the  outskirts.  ^  They  called  out 
to  Lot  and  said  to  him, 

''  Where  are  the  men  who  came  into  your  house  to- 
night? Bring  them  out  to  us,  and  let  us  have  intercourse 
with  them !  " 

^  Then  Lot  went  out  to  them  at  the  entrance,  shutting 
the  door  after  him,  and  said, 

^  *'  I  beg  of  you,  my  friends,  do  not  do  wrong.  ^  Look 
now,  I  have  two  daughters,  who  have  never  had  inter- 
course with  man ;  let  me  bring  them  out  to  you,  I  beg 
of  you,  and  do  as  you  please  to  them.  But  do  not  do 
anything  to  these  men,  for  otherwise  they  would  not  have 
come  under  my  roof." 

9  But  they  cried,  "  Stand  back !  This  one  man,  though 
he  came  in  to  be  an  ahen,"  they  said,  "  has  become  a 
judge.     Now  we  will  do  worse  to  you  than  to  them !  " 

Thereupon  they  crowded  violently  against  the  man  Lot, 
and  were  about  to  break  down  the  door.  ^^  But  the  men 
reached  out  and  pulled  Lot  in  to  them  in  the  house,  and 
shut  the  door.  ^^  Then  they  struck  with  blindness  the 
men  at  the  door  of  the  house,  both  large  and  small,  so 
that  they  wore  themselves  out  trying  to  find  the  door. 


132      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF   TERAH 

12  Thereupon  the  men  said  to  Lot, 

"  Whom  else  have  you  here  ?  a  son-in-law  ?  your  sons 
or  daughters?  Whomever  you  have  in  the  town,  bring 
them  out  of  the  place.  ^^  For  we  are  going  to  destroy 
this  place ;  for  so  great  is  the  outcry  against  them  before 
Jehovah  that  Jehovah  has  sent  us  to  destroy  it." 

1*  Then  Lot  went  out  and  spoke  to  his  sons-in-law,  who 
were  to  marry  his  daughters. 

"  Leave  this  place  instantly,"  he  said,  "  for  Jehovah 
is  going  to  destroy  the  town." 

But  to  his  sons-in-law  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  jesting. 

1^  When  morning  came,  the  Messengers  urged  Lot  on. 

"  Instantly,"  they  said,  "  take  away  your  wife  and  your 
two  daughters,  who  are  here,  before  you  are  swept  away 
in  the  punishment  of  the  town." 

1^  When  he  lingered  the  men  seized  his  hand,  the 
hand  of  his  wife,  and  the  hands  of  his  two  daughters,  in 
the  pity  of  Jehovah  upon  him,  and  took  him  out  and  set 
him  down  outside  the  town.  ^"^  As  soon  as  they  had 
taken  them  outside  the  town,  one  said, 

"  Escape  for  your  life !  Do  not  look  behind  you,  and 
do  not  stop  in  all  the  Circle.  Escape  to  the  mountains 
before  you  are  swept  away !  " 

18  "  No,  I  beg  of  you,  Sir,"  said  Lot  to  them,  i^  "  Your 
servant  has  indeed  secured  your  good  will,  and  you 
have  done  me  so  great  a  kindness  as  to  save  my  life. 
But  I  cannot  escape  to  the  mountains  before  the  evil 
overtakes  me  and  I  die.  ^o  Look  now, — this  town  is 
near  for  me  to  flee  to,  and  since  it  is  little,  I  beg  of  you, 
let  me  escape  to  it — is  it  not  little? — and  so  let  my  life 
be  saved." 

21  "  Well,"  he  replied  to  him,  "  I  consent  to  you  even 
in  this  matter,  not  to  destroy  the  town  you  speak  of.  ^2 
Escape  to  it  quickly;  for  I  can  do  nothing  until  you  get 
there." 


SECTION    7    ( 1 1. 27-25.11)  133 

From  that  the  town  was  named  Soar  [Little]. 

2^  It  was  after  sunrise  when  Lot  came  to  Soar.  ^4  Then 
Jehovah  rained  upon  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  sulphur  and 
fire  from  Jehovah  out  of  the  heavens,  ^^  and  overwhelmed 
those  towns  and  the  whole  Circle,  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  towns,  and  what  sprang  out  of  the  ground.  ^6  m^ 
wife,  too,  who  was  behind  him,  looked  back ;  and  she  be- 
came a  column  of  salt. 

2"^  Early  in  the  morning  Abraham  went  to  the  place 
where  he  had  stood  before  Jehovah,  ^s  and  looked  out 
over  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  all  over  the  land  of  the 
Circle ;  and  there  he  saw  the  smoke  of  the  land  going  up 
like  the  smoke  of  a  furnace. 

29  And  thus  it  came  about,  when  God  destroyed  the 
towns  of  the  Circle,  that  he  remembered  Abraham,  and 
sent  Lot  out  of  the  very  midst  of  the  catastrophe  when 
he  overwhelmed  the  towns  in  which  Lot  lived. 

^^  Then  Lot  went  up  from  Soar, — for  he  was  afraid 
to  live  in  Soar, — and  settled  in  the  mountains,  together 
with  his  two  daughters.  ^^  Then  the  elder  said  to  the 
younger, 

"  Since  our  father  is  old,  and  since  there  are  no  men 
in  the  land  to  live  with  us  in  the  way  of  all  the  world, 
22  come,  let  us  give  our  father  wine  to  drink  and  be 
with  him,  and  so  preserve  some  offspring  from  our 
father." 

^^  So  that  night  they  gave  their  father  wine  to  drink; 
and  the  elder  went  in  and  was  with  her  father,  without 
his  knowing  when  she  lay  down  or  when  she  got  up.  ^^ 
The  next  day  the  elder  said  to  the  younger, 

"  Well,  I  was  with  my  father  last  night.  Let  us  give 
him  wine  to  drink  to-night  also,  and  you  go  in  and  be 
with  him,  and  so  let  us  preserve  some  ofifspring  from 
our  father." 


134      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

^5  So  they  gave  their  father  wine  to  drink  that  night 
too ;  and  the  younger  went  and  was  with  him,  without 
his  knowing  when  she  lay  down  or  when  she  got  up. 

^^  Thus  Lot's  two  daughters  conceived  by  their  father. 
^'^  The  elder  bore  a  son  whom  she  named  Moab  [Father's- 
Seed].  He  is  the  ancestor  of  the  Moab  of  the  present 
day.  ^^  The  younger,  too,  bore  a  son,  whom  she  named 
Ben-Ammi  [Son-of-My-People].  He  is  the  ancestor  of 
the  Ammonite  Kin  of  the  present  day. 


20.  1  From  there  Abraham  traveled  toward  the  South, 
He  lived  between  Kadesh  and  Shur,  residing  as  an  alien 
in  Gerar.     ^  j^  speaking  of  his  wife  Abraham  said, 

"  She  is  my  sister ;  " 
so  Abimelech,  the  King  of  Gerar,  sent  and  took  her. 

2  But  that  night  God  visited  Abimelech  in  a  dream,  and 
said  to  him, 

"  Now  you  are  going  to  die  on  account  of  the  woman 
you  have  taken,  for  she  has  a  husband." 

*  But  Abimelech,  who  had  not  approached  her,  said. 

**  Lord,  will  you  kill  an  upright  people  also?  ^  Did 
he  not  say  to  me, 

'  She  is  my  sister  '? 
and  she  herself  also,  did  she  not  say, 

'  He  is  my  brother  '  ? 
I  have  done  this  innocently  and  with  a  clear  conscience." 

^  ''  Not  only  did  I  know  that  you  had  done  this  with 
a  clear  conscience,"  God  said  to  him  in  the  dream,  "  but 
I  restrained  you  from  falling  short  in  your  duty  to  me. 
For  that  reason  I  did  not  permit  you  to  touch  her.  '^  But 
now,  return  the  man's  wife,  for  he  is  a  prophet ;  and  let 
him  pray  for  you.  and  you  shall  live.  But  if  you  do  not 
restore  her,  know  that  you  shall  die,  and  all  that  are 
yours  as  well." 


SECTION    7    (11.27-25. II)  135 

^  Abimelech  rose  early  in  the  morning,  summoned  all 
his  servants,  and  told  all  of  this  in  their  hearing.  The 
men  were  greatly  frightened.  ^  Then  Abimelech  sum- 
moned Abraham  and  said  to  him, 

"  What  have  you  done  to  us  ?  How  have  I  failed  in 
my  duty  to  you  that  you  should  have  brought  on  me  and 
my  kingdom  a  serious  failure  in  duty?  You  have  done 
to  me  deeds  that  are  not  to  be  done.  ^^  What  did  you 
see,"  Abimelech  went  on  to  Abraham,  "  that  you  did  this 
thing?" 

^^  ''  Because,"  answered  Abraham,  "  I  thought,  There 
is  certainly  no  reverence  for  God  in  this  place,  and  on 
account  of  my  wife  they  will  kill  me.  ^^  A^d  besides, 
she  is  truly  my  sister, — the  daughter  of  my  father,  only 
not  the  daughter  of  my  mother ;  although  she  did  become 
my  wife.  ^^  But  later,  when  God  had  me  to  wander 
from  my  father's  home,  I  said  to  her, 

'  There  is  this  favor  that  you  must  do  me  every- 
where we  go:  in  speaking  about  me  say,  He  is 
m.y  brother.'  " 

1^  Then  Abimelech  took  sheep,  goats,  cattle,  and  male 
and  female  slaves,  and  gave  them  to  Abraham,  and  re- 
stored his  wife  Sarah  to  him. 

^^  "  See,"  Abimelech  said,  ''  my  country  is  before  you ; 
live  where  you  please." 

To  Sarah  he  said, 

^^  "  Here  I  give  your  '  brother  '  six  hundred  ounces  of 
silver;  see,  you  have  in  it  an  atonement  for  all  that  con- 
cerns you."     So  after  all  she  was  set  right. 

1*^  Then  Abraham  prayed  to  God,  and  God  cured 
Abimelech,  his  wife,  and  his  slave-women,  so  that  they 
had  children.  ^^  For  Jehovah  had  sealed  every  womb  in 
Abimelech's  household  on  account  of  Abraham's  wife 
Sarah. 


136      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

21.  1  Jehovah  visited  Sarah  as  he  had  said,  and  did 
to  her  as  he  had  spoken.  ^  Sarah  conceived  and  bore  a 
son  to  Abraham  in  his  old  ag-e,  at  the  time  that 
God  had  told  him.  ^  Abraham  named  the  son  who 
was  born  to  him, — whom  Sarah  bore  to  him, — Isaac. 
^  When  his  son  Isaac  was  eight  days  old,  Abraham 
circumcised  him,  as  God  had  commanded  him;  ^  being 
himself  one  hundred  years  old  at  the  time  his  son  Isaac 
was  born  to  him.     ^  For  Sarah  had  said, 

"  Laughter  God  has  made  for  me ;  everyone  who  hears 
it  will  laugh  with  me." 

"^  "  Who  would  have  said  to  Abraham,"  she  said  also, 
"that  Sarah  would  nurse  children?  And  yet  I  have 
borne  him  a  son  in  his  old  age ! " 

^  The  child  grew,  and  was  weaned.  The  day  Isaac 
was  weaned  Abraham  gave  a  great  entertainment.  ^  But 
Sarah  saw  Hagar  the  Egyptian's  son,  the  one  she  had 
borne  to  Abraham,  making  ridicule.  ^^  Thereupon  she 
said  to  Abraham, 

"  Drive  out  this  slave-woman  and  her  son !  The  son 
of  this  slave-woman  shall  not  be  co-heir  with  my  son, 
Isaac !" 

11  Her  speech  pained  Abraham  very  much,  for  his  son's 
sake.     ^2  But  God  said  to  Abraham, 

"  Do  not  let  it  be  painful  to  you,  about  the  boy  and 
your  slave-woman.  Consent  to  whatever  Sarah  proposes 
to  you.  For  it  is  through  Isaac  that  offspring  shall  be 
called  yours.  ^^  But  the  son  of  the  slave-woman  I  will 
also  make  into  a  nation,  because  he  is  your  offspring." 

1*  So  Abraham  rose  early  in  the  morning,  took  some 
food  and  a  skin  of  water,  placing  them  on  her  shoulder, 
and  gave  them  and  the  child  to  Hagar,  and  sent  her 
away.  She  departed  and  wandered  in  the  Wilderness  of 
Beersheba.     ^^  When  the  water  in  the  skin  was  used  up, 


SECTION    7    (11.27-25. II)  137 

she  abandoned  the  child  under  one  of  the  bushes,  ^^  and 
went  off  and  sat  down  by  herself  at  some  distance,  about 
a  bowshot,  opposite;  for  she  thought, 

"  Let  me  not  look  on  at  the  child's  death." 

So  she  sat  opposite,  and  wept  aloud.  ^"^  God  heard 
the  boy's  cry,  and  the  Messenger  of  God  called  to  Hagar 
out  of  the  heavens,  and  said  to  her, 

"  What  is  the  trouble  with  you,  Hagar  ?  Do  not  be 
afraid;  God  has  listened  to  the  boy's  cry  where  he  is. 
18  Rise,  lift  the  boy  up,  and  hold  him  by  your  hand.  For 
I  am  going  to  make  him  into  a  great  nation." 

1^  Then  God  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  well  of 
water.  She  went  and  filled  the  skin  with  water,  and 
gave  the  boy  some  to  drink. 

20  So  God  was  with  the  boy  as  he  grew  up.  He  lived 
in  the  Wilderness  and  became  an  archer.  21  He  lived  in 
the  Wilderness  of  Paran.  His  mother  secured  a  wife 
for  him,  however,  out  of  Egypt. 

22  It  was  at  that  time  that  Abimelech,  and  Phicol,  the 
general  of  his  army,  said  to  Abraham, 

"  Since  God  is  with  you  in  all  you  do,  23  now  swear  to 
me  here  by  God  not  to  be  false  to  me,  to  my  family,  or 
to  my  posterity;  as  kindly  as  I  have  treated  you,  so  are 
you  to  treat  me  and  the  land  you  have  lived  in  as  an 
alien." 

24  '*  I  am  willing  to  swear,"  said  Abraham ;  25  but  at 
the  same  time  he  remonstrated  with  Abimelech  about  the 
well  of  water  which  Abimelech's  servants  had  appro- 
priated. 

26  "  I  do  not  know  who  did  that,"  said  Abimelech ; 
"  you  never  told  me,  and  I  had  never  heard  about  it  till 
to-day." 

2^  So  Abraham  took  some  of  his  sheep,  goats,  and  cattle 
and  gave  them  to  Abimelech,  and  the  two  made  a  com- 


138      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

pact.     2^  But  seven  ewe  lambs  from  the  flock  Abraham 
had  put  by  themselves. 

29  <'  What  are  those  seven  ewe  lambs  for,  that  you  have 
put  by  themselves  ?  "  Abimelech  said  to  Abraham. 

30  '<  When  you  accept  these  seven  ewe  lambs  from  my 
hands,"  he  said,  *'  it  will  be  in  order  that  they  may  serve 
to  witness  that  I  dug  this  well." 

^^  From  that  the  place  was  named  Beer-Sheba  [Well- 
of-the-Oath],  because  there  the  two  swore  together. 
32  After  they  had  made  the  compact  at  Beer-Sheba, 
Abimelech  and  Phicol,  the  general  of  his  army,  left  and 
returned  to  the  country  of  the  Philistines. 

33  At  Beer-Sheba  he  planted  a  tamarisk-tree,  and  there 
called  God  by  the  name  Jehovah-El-Olam  [Jehovah-God- 
Eternal]   in  prayer. 

34  Thus  Abraham  lived  an  alien  in  the  country  of  the 
PhiHstines  for  a  long  time. 


22.     1  After  these  events  God  tested  Abraham. 
"  Abraham !  "  he  said  to  him. 
"  Here  I  am,"  he  answered. 

2  "  Take  your  son  now,"  said  he,  "  your  only  son — him 
you  love — Isaac, — and  go  to  the  land  of  Moriah,  and 
offer  him  up  as  a  burnt-ofifering  on  one  of  the  mountains 
that  I  will  tell  you." 

3  Early  in  the  morning  Abraham  rose,  saddled  his 
donkey,  and  took  with  him  two  of  his  men  and  his  son 
Isaac.  After  splitting  the  wood  for  the  burnt-offering, 
he  set  out  and  went  to  the  place  God  told  him.  ^  On 
the  third  day.  raising  his  eyes,  he  saw  the  place  from  a 
distance. 

5  "  Stay  here  with  the  donkey,"  he  said  to  the  men, 


SECTION    7    (ii.:>7-^5.ii)  139 

"  while  the  boy  and  I  go  yonder.     When  we  have  wor- 
shipped, we  will  come  back  to  you." 

6  Then  Abraham  took  the  wood  for  the  burnt-offering 
and  laid  it  on  his  son  Isaac.  In  his  hands  he  took  the 
fire  and  the  knife,  and  they  went  on,  the  two  together. 
"^  Isaac  spoke  to  his  father  Abraham. 

"  My  father,"  he  said. 

"  Here  I  am,  my  son,"  he  replied. 

"  Here  is  the  fire  and  the  wood,"  he  said ;  ''  but  where 
is  the  one  from  the  flock  for  a  burnt-offering?  " 

8  "  God  will  provide  for  himself."  answered  Abraham, 
"  the  one  from  the  flock  for  a  burnt-offering,  my  son." 

And  they  went  on,  the  two  together. 

9  When  they  came  to  the  place  that  God  had  told  him, 
Abraham  built  there  the  altar  and  arranged  the  wood, 
bound  his  son  Isaac,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar  upon  the 
wood.  ^^  Then  he  put  out  his  hand  and  took  the  knife 
to  slaughter  his  son.  ^^  But  the  Messenger  of  Jehovah 
called  out  to  him  from  the  heavens,  and  said, 

"  Abraham,  Abraham !  " 
"  Here  I  am,"  he  replied. 

12  "  Do  not  put  out  your  hand  against  the  boy,"  he  said. 
"  Do  not  do  anything  to  hhn ;  for  now  I  know  that  you 
reverence  God,  and  you  have  not  kept  your  son,  your 
only  son,  back  from  me." 

13  Then  Abraham  raised  his  eyes.  There  behind  him 
he  saw  a  ram  caught  by  his  horns  in  the  thicket.  So  he 
went  and  got  the  ram,  and  offered  it  up  as  a  burnt-offer- 
ing instead  of  his  son. 

14  Abraham  named  that  place  Jehovah-Jireh  f  Jehovah- 
Will-Provide]  ;  which  is  the  same  as  the  present  saying, 

*'  In  the  Mount  of  Jehovah  it  will  be  provided." 

1^  The  Messenger  of  Jehovah  called  out  to  Abraham 
a  second  time  from  the  heavens,  1^  and  said, 


140      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF   TERAH 

"  By  myself  I  have  sworn, — it  is  the  Utterance  of  Je- 
hovah,— that  because  you  have  done  this  thing,  and  not 
kept  back  your  son,  your  only  son.  ^^  I  will  bless  you 
and  increase  your  offspring  like  the  stars  in  the  sky  and 
like  the  sand  on  the  shore  of  the  sea ;  and  your  offspring 
shall  gain  dominion  over  their  enemies ;  ^^  and  in  your 
offspring  all  the  nations  of  the  world  shall  be  blessed, — 
since  you  have  obeyed  me." 

^^  Then  Abraham  went  back  to  his  men,  and  they  set 
out  and  went  together  to  Beer-Sheba;  and  he  lived  at 
Beer-Sheba. 


^^  After  these  events  news  was  brought  to  Abraham 
as  follows: 

"  News !  Milcah,  too,  has  borne  children  to  your 
brother  Nahor :  ^i  the  eldest  Us,  his  brother  Buz,  Aram's 
father  Kemuel,  ^2  Kesed,  Hazo,  Pildash,  Jidlaph,  and 
Bethuel,"  ^^  (Bethuel  being  the  one  who  became  the 
father  of  Rebekah). 

These  eight  Milcah  bore  to  Abraham's  brother  Nahor. 
24  His  concubine,  also,  whose  name  was  Reumah,  gave 
birth  to  Tebah,  Gaham,  Tahash,  and  Maacah. 


23.  1  When  the  life  of  Sarah  had  lasted  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  years, — for  so  long  was  her  life, — ^ 
she  died  in  Kiriath-Arba,  that  is,  Hebron,  in  Canaan. 
Abraham  went  in  to  mourn  for  Sarah  and  to  weep  for 
her. 

2  Then  leaving  the  presence  of  his  dead,  he  spoke  to 
the  Heth  Kin: 

^  "  I  am  with  you  as  an  alien  and  a  settler,"  he  said. 


SECTION    7    (II. 27-25.11)  141 

"  Permit  me  to  possess  a  burying-place  with  you,  so  that 
I  may  bury  my  dead  away  from  my  presence." 

5  The  Heth  Kin  made  their  answer  to  Abraham :  ^ 

6  ''Hear  us,  Your  Excellency,"  they  said  to  him. 
"  You  are  an  Incomparable  Sheikh  among  us.  Bury 
your  dead  in  the  choicest  of  our  burying-places,  for  none 
of  us  will  shut  you  out  of  his  burying-place  to  bury  your 
dead  in." 

7  Abraham  rose  and  bowed  before  the  people  of  the 
country,  the  Heth  Kin.  »  Then  he  spoke  further  to  them 
as  follows : 

"  If  you  are  willing  for  me  to  bury  my  dead  away 
from  my  presence,  hear  me:  make  request  for  me  to 
Ephron  the  son  of  Sohar  ^  to  let  me  have  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  which  belongs  to  him  and  is  in  the  end  of 
his  field,— to  let  me  have  it  at  its  full  price,  to  possess  as 
a  burying-place  among  you." 

10  Ephron  the  Hittite,  who  was  sitting  among  the 
Heth  Kin,  made  his  answer  to  Abraham,  in  the  hearing 
of  the  Heth  Kin,  including  all  his  fellow-citizens  of  the 
town  as  follows:  t     ^  1^ 

11  "  No,  Your  Excellency.  Hear  me :  I  otter  the  tield 
to  you,  and  I  offer  the  cave  that  is  in  it  to  you.  Under 
the  eyes  of  my  people's  Kin  I  offer  it  to  you.  Bury  your 
dead." 

12  Then  Abraham  bowed  before  the  people  of  the 
country.  ^^  But  to  Ephron  he  spoke  further,  in  the  hear- 
ing of  the  people  of  the  country: 

"  But  you,"  he  said,  "  I  beg  of  you,  hear  me,  if  you 
will :  I  offer  the  price  of  the  field.  Accept  it  from  me, 
and  let  me  bury  my  dead  there." 

14  Then  Ephron  made  his  answer  to  Abraham: 

15  "Hear  me,  Your  Excellency,"  he  said  to  him. 
"  What  is  a  piece  of  land  worth  two  hundred  and  forty 


142      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

ounces  of  silver  between  you  and  me?     Only  bury  vour 
dead!" 

1^  Then  Abraham  agreed  to  Ephron's  terms,  and 
weighed  out  to  Ephron  the  money  that  he  had  mentioned 
in  the  hearing  of  the  Heth  Kin, — two  hundred  and  forty 
ounces  of  silver,  current  among  merchants.  ^"^  So 
Ephron's  field  in  Machpelah,  which  is  in  front  of  Mamre, 
— the  field,  and  the  cave  in  it,  and  all  the  trees  in  the 
field  and  in  all  the  territory  thereto  appertaining, — passed 
^^  as  a  possession  to  Abraham,  under  the  eyes  of  the 
Heth  Kin,  including  all  his  fellow-citizens  of  the  town. 
19  Thereupon  Abraham  buried  his  wife  Sarah  in  the 
cave  in  the  field  of  Machpelah  in  front  of  Mamre,  that 
is,  Hebron,  in  Canaan. 

20  Thus  the  field  and  the  cave  in  it  passed  from  the 
Heth  Kin  to  Abraham,  to  be  possessed  as  a  burying-place. 


24.  1  When  Abraham  was  old.  very  old,  and  Jehovah 
had  blessed  him  in  everything,  ^  he  said  to  his  servant, 
— the  steward  of  his  house,  who  managed  all  that  be- 
longed to  him, 

"  Put  your  hand,  if  you  please,  under  my  thigh,  ^  and 
let  me  swear  you  by  Jehovah,  the  God  of  heaven  and 
earth,  that  you  will  get  a  wife  for  my  son,  not  among 
the  Canaanite  women  among  whom  I  live,  '*  but  that 
you  will  go  to  my  country  and  birthplace  and  get  a  wife 
for  my  son  Isaac." 

^  "  Suppose."  said  the  servant  to  him,  "  the  woman 
refuses  to  come  back  with  me  to  this  country;  shall  I 
take  your  son  all  the  way  back  to  the  country  you  enii- 
grated  from  ?  " 

^  "  Take  care,"  Abraham  answered  him,  "  not  to  take 
my  son  back  there.    '^  Jehovah,  the  God  of  heaven,  who 


SECTION    7    (11.27-25. II)  143 

took  me  from  my  father's  home  and  from  my  native  land, 
^vho  spoke  to  me,  and  who  swore  to  me, 

'  This  land  I  will  give  to  your  offspring,' — 
he  will  send  his  Messenger  before  you  ;  and  you  will  get 
a  wife  for  my  son  there.  ^  If,  however,  the  woman  re- 
fuses to  come  back  with  you.  then  you  shall  be  free  from 
this  oath  of  yours.  But  you  shall  never  take  my  son  back 
there." 

^  Then  the  servant  put  his  hand  under  Abraham's 
thigh  and  swore  to  him  in  accordance  with  these  terms. 

^^  So  the  servant  took  ten  of  his  master's  camels,  and 
departed, — for  all  his  master's  possessions  were  under  his 
management.  He  set  out  and  came  to  Aram-Naharaim, 
to  Nahor's  town.  ^^  In  the  evening,  at  the  time  when 
the  women  came  out  to  draw  water,  he  made  his  camels 
kneel  by  the  well  of  water  outside  the  town. 

12  *'  O  Jehovah,  God  of  my  master  Abraham,"  he  said, 
*'  send  me  good  fortune  to-day,  I  pray  thee,  and  do  a 
kindness  to  my  master  Abraham.  ^^  Here  I  am  standing 
by  the  fountain  of  water,  while  the  daughters  of  the 
townspeople  are  coming  out  to  draw  water.  '^^  Let  it 
turn  out  that  the  girl  to  whom  I  say, 

"  '  Let    down    your    pitcher,    if    you    please,    and 
allow  me  to  drink  from  it,' 
and  who   shall   answer, 

''  '  Drink,  and  I  will  water  your  camels  too,' — 
let  her  be  the  one  thou  dost  designate  for  Isaac,  thy  ser- 
vant ;  and  by  that  I  shall  know  that  thou  hast  done  a 
kindness  to  my  master." 

15  He  had  not  finished  speaking  when  there  was 
Rebekah  (she  who  was  born  to  Bethuel  the  son  of  Mil- 
cah,  the  wife  of  Nahor,  Abraham's  brother),  coming  out 
with  her  pitcher  on  her  shoulder.  ^^  The  girl  was  very 
beautiful,  an  innocent  maiden.     She  went  down  to  the 


144      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

fountain,  filled  her  pitcher,  and  came  up.     ^"^  Then  the 
servant  ran  to  meet  her  and  said, 

"  Give  me  just  a  little  water,  if  you  please,  out 
of  your  pitcher." 

1^  "  Drink,  Sir,"  she  said. 

And  she  quickly  let  her  pitcher  down  on  her  hand  and 
gave  him  all  that  he  would  drink.  ^^  When  she  had 
finished  giving  him  all  that  he  would  drink,  she  said, 

"  I  will  draw  for  your  camels,  too,  till  they  have 
finished  drinking." 

20  And  she  quickly  emptied  her  pitcher  into  the  trough 
and  ran  to  the  well  again  to  draw  more.  vSo  she  drew 
water  for  all  his  camels,  ^i  the  man  gazing  at  her,  silent, 
to  know  whether  Jehovah  had  prospered  his  journey 
or  not. 

22  As  soon  as  the  camels  had  finished  drinking,  the 
man  took  a  gold  ring  weighing  one  third  of  an  ounce 
and  two  bracelets  for  her  wrists  weighing  six  ounces, 
2^  and  said, 

"  Whose  daughter  are  you  ?  tell  me,  if  you  please. 
And  is  there  room  in  your  father's  house  for  us  to  spend 
the  night  ?  " 

24  "  I  am  the  daughter  of  Bethuel,  the  son  of  Milcah 
and  her  husband  Nahor,"  she  answered  him.  25  "  There 
is  plenty  both  of  straw  and  fodder  at  our  house,"  she 
continued  to  him,  ''  and  there  is  also  room  to  spend  the 
night." 

26  Then  the  man  bowed  his  head  and  worshipped 
Jehovah. 

27  ''  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  the  God  of  my  master  Abra- 
ham," he  said,  "  who  has  not  given  up  his  kindness  and 
his  truth  toward  my  master, — for  now  Jehovah  has  led 
me  on  the  road  to  the  home  of  my  master's  kin." 

28  The  girl  ran  and  told  her  mother's  family.    29  Re- 


SECTION    7    ( 1 1. 27-25.11)  145 

bekah  had  a  brother  whose  name  was  Laban ;  and  he  ran 
to  the  man  outside  at  the  fountain.  ^^  For  as  soon  as 
he  saw  the  ring  and  the  bracelets  on  his  sister's  wrists, 
and  heard  his  sister  Rebekah's  story, 

"  So  and  so  the  man  said  to  me," 
he  went  to  the  man ;  and  there  he  was,  still  standing  by 
the  camels  at  the  fountain. 

^^  *'  Come  in,"  he  said,  "you  who  are  blessed  by 
Jehovah.  Why  do  you  stand  outside,  when  I  have  made 
ready  the  house,  and  a  place  for  the  camels  ?  " 

^2  And  when  the  man  went  into  the  house  and  un- 
girded  the  camels,  he  gave  him  straw  and  fodder  for  the 
camels  and  water  to  wash  his  feet  and  the  feet  of  the 
men  who  were  with  him,  ^^  and  put  before  him  some- 
thing to  eat. 

But  he  said,  "  I  will  not  eat  until  I  have  told  my 
business." 

*'  Speak,"  said  he. 

2^  "  I  am  the  servant  of  Abraham,"  he  said.  ^^  "  Je- 
hovah has  blessed  my  master  much,  and  he  has  become 
great.  He  has  given  him  sheep,  goats,  and  cattle,  silver 
and  gold,  male  and  female  slaves,  camels  and  donkeys. 
2^  Sarah,  my  master's  wife,  bore  a  son  to  my  master, 
too,  after  she  was  old,  to  whom  he  has  given  all  that 
belongs  to  him. 

2^  "  And  my  master  made  me  swear  to  this : 

" '  You  shall  not  get  for  my  son  a  wife  among  the 
Canaanite  women  in  whose  country  I  live ;  ^^  but 
you  shall  go  to  my  father's  home  and  my  own 
race,  and  get  a  wife  for  my  son.' 
'  Then  I  said  to  my  master, 
"  '  Suppose  the  woman  will  not  come  back  with 
me?' 

^0  "  He  answered  me. 


39 


146      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

"  *  Jehovah,  in  whose  presence  I  live  my  hfe,  will 
send  his  Messenger  with  you  and  prosper  your 
journey;  and  so  you  will  get  a  wife  for  my  son 
from  my  own  race  and  my  father's  family. 
^1  But  in  one  event  you  shall  be  free  from  this 
oath  to  me:  namely,  if  you  come  to  my  race  and 
they  will  not  give  her  to  you,  then  you  shall  be 
free  from  the  oath  to  me." 

^2  *'  So  when  I  came  to  the  well  to-day,  I  said, 

*' '  O  Jehovah,  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  if 
now  thou  art  prospering  my  journey  on  which 
I  am  going, — ^^  here  I  am  standing  by  the  foun- 
tain of  water, — let  it  turn  out  that  the  maiden 
who  comes  out  to  draw  water,  and  to  whom  I  say, 

"  ' "  Please  give  me  a  little  water  to  drink  out 

of  your  pitcher," 
4*  and  who  shall  answer  me, 

''  *  *'  You  drink,  and  I  will  draw  for  your  camels 

as  well," 
that   she   shall   be   the    woman   whom   thou    dost 
designate  for  my  master's   son.' 

^^  "  Before  I  had  finished  speaking  to  myself,  there 
was  Rebekah  coming  out  with  her  pitcher  on  her  shoul- 
der ;  and  she  went  to  the  fountain  and  drew  water.  Then 
I  said  to  her, 

"  '  Please  give  me  some  water.' 
^^  She  quickly  let  her  pitcher  down  from  her,  and  said, 

"  '  Drink,  and  I  will  water  your  camels  too.' 
I  drank,  and  she  watered  the  camels  too. 

4^  ''  Then  I  asked  her,  '  Whose  daughter  are  you  ? ' 
*' '  The  daughter  of  Bethuel,'  she  answered,  '  the 
son  of  Nahor  and  his  wife  Milcah.' 

"  Then  I  put  the  ring  on  her  nose  and  the  bracelets 


SECTION    7    (ii. 27-25.11)  147 

on  her  wrists ;  ^^  and  I  bowed  my  head  and  worshipped 
Jehovah,  and  blessed  Jehovah  the  God  of  my  master 
Abraham,  who  had  led  me  in  a  straight  road  to  get  the 
daughter  of  my  master's  kinsman  for  his  son. 

4^  **  And  now,  if  you  are  going  to  do  kindness  and 
truth  to  my  master,  tell  me;  and  if  not,  tell  me, — and 
let  me  turn  to  the  right  or  to  the  left." 

5^  Then  Laban  made  answer,  together  with  Bethuel: 

"  The  thing  comes  from  Jehovah,"  they  said.     "  We 

cannot  answer  you  either  yes  or  no.     ^^  Here  Rebekah  is, 

before  you ;  take  her  and  go,  and  let  her  become  the  wife 

of  your  master's  son,  as  Jehovah  has  spoken." 

^2  As  soon  as  Abraham's  servant  heard  these  words 
he  bowed  down  very  low  to  Jehovah.  ^^  Then  he  brought 
out  articles  of  silver  and  of  gold,  and  dresses,  and  gave 
them  to  Rebekah ;  and  to  her  brother  and  her  mother  also 
he  gave  costly  presents.  ^*  They  ate  and  drank,  he  and 
the  men  with  him,  and  spent  the  night. 

When  they  rose  the  next  morning,  he  said, 

"  Dismiss  me  to  my  master." 

^^  "  Let  the  girl  stay  with  us  ten  days  or  so,"  said  her 
brother  and  her  mother ;  ''  then  she  may  go." 

^6  "  Do  not  delay  me,"  he  answered,  "  for  Jehovah 
has  prospered  my  journey.  Dismiss  me,  and  let  me  go 
to  my  master." 

57  *'  Let  us  call  the  girl,"  they  replied,  "  and  ask  her 
to  say." 

5^  So  they  called  Rebekah  and  said  to  her, 

"Will  you  go  with  this  man?" 

**  I  will  go,"  she  answered. 


59 


So  they  let  their  sister  Rebekah  go,  and  her  nurse. 


148      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

with  Abraham's  servant  and  his  men.  ^^  They  blessed 
Rebekah,  and  said  to  her, 

"  Our  sister,  may  you  become  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands,  and  may  your  offspring  gain  dominion  over 
those  who  hate  them." 

^^  Then  Rebekah  set  out,  with  her  maids,  and  they 
rode  on  the  camels  and  went  back  with  the  man.  So 
the  servant  took  Rebekah  and  departed. 

^2  Isaac  was  coming  from  the  road  to  Beer-Lahai- 
Roi ;  for  he  was  living  in  the  South.  ^^  He  had  gone 
out  to  meditate  in  the  field  in  the  dusk  of  evening,  when 
he  raised  his  eyes,  and  there  he  saw  camels  coming. 
^*  Rebekah,  too,  raised  her  eyes  and  saw  Isaac,  and  she 
alighted  from  the  camel. 

65  "  Who  is  yonder  man  that  is  coming  in  the  field  to 
meet  us?"  she  said  to  the  servant. 

"  It  is  my  master,"  he  answered. 

Then  she  took  her  veil  and  covered  herself.  ^^  When 
the  servant  had  recounted  to  Isaac  all  the  things  he 
had  done,  ^'^  Isaac  took  her  into  his  mother  Sarah's 
tent.  He  married  Rebekah,  and  she  became  his  wife; 
and  he  loved  her.  So  Isaac  was  comforted  for  his 
mother. 


25.  ^  Abraham  married  another  wife,  whose  name 
was  Keturah.  ^  She  bore  him  Zimram,  Jokshan,  Medan, 
Midi  an,  Ishbak,  and  Shuah.  ^  Jokshan  became  the  father 
of  Sheba  and  Dedan;  and  the  sons  of  Dedan  were 
Asshurim,  Letushim,  and  Leummim.  *  The  sons  of 
Midian  were  Ephah,  Epher,  Enoch,  Abida,  and  Eldaa. 
All  these  were  sons  of  Keturah. 

^  Abraham  gave  all  that  he  had  to  Isaac ;  ^  but  to  the 
sons  of  the  concubines  that  Abraham  had  he  gave  gifts 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    7  149 

and  let  them  go,  while  he  yet  lived,  away  from  his  son 
Isaac  eastward  to  the  country  of  the  East. 

'^  When  the  length  of  Abraham's  life  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  years,  ^  breathing  his  last, 
he  died,  in  a  happy  and  ripe  old  age,  and  joined  his  people. 
^  His  sons  Isaac  and  Ishmael  buried  him  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  in  the  field  of  Ephron,  the  son  of  Sohar  the 
Hittite,  which  is  in  front  of  Mamre, — ^^  the  field  that 
Abraham  bought  from  the  Heth  Kin.  There  Abraham 
was  buried,  and  his  wife  Sarah. 

11  After  Abraham  died,  God  continued  to  bless  Isaac, 
his  son.     Isaac  lived  by  Beer-Lahai-Roi. 


NOTES  TO  SECTION  7 

Text. — 1 1.3 1,  Haran.  The  name  of  the  town  is  not 
identical  with  the  name  of  the  man  (v.  27,  28,  29,  31)  ; 
in  Hebrew  the  two  words  begin  with  different  letters. 
12.3,  Races  of  the  ''  ground."  The  same  word  is  used 
as  that  translated  ''  ground  "  in  the  preceding  sections 
(see  Note  on  2.5,  6)  ;  but  it  seems  here  and  in  28.14  to 
have  acquired  the  meaning  of  the  universal  residence  of 
mankind,  being  thus  almost  equivalent  to  "  world,"  which 
is  used  in  the  same  phrase  in  22.18.  13.12,  Towns. 
The  A.  V.  ''  city  "  is  apt  to  give  the  modern  reader  a 
misleading  idea  of  the  size  of  many  BibHcal  localities. 
The  Hebrew  word  is  used  with  no  fixed  standard  of 
size  implied.  Certainly  Sodom,  all  of  whose  citizens 
"even  from  the  outskirts"  (19.4)  were  able  to  gather 
before  a  single  house.  Soar,  the  Little  (19.22),  Nahor's 
town  (24.11),  where  the  women  came  out  each  day  to 
draw    water,    and    Shechem    (Chapter    34),  so    easily 


150      THE    DESCENDANTS   OF   TERAH 

destroyed  by  Simeon  and  Levi,  were  not  cities  in  the 
modern  sense. 

14.15,  Subordinates.  The  Hebrew  word  is  that 
usually  translated  "  servants  "  or  "  slaves  " ;  but  it  here 
includes  men  who  were  co-commanders  with  Abraham, 
his  allies  Aner,  Eshcol,  and  Mamre.  The  word  by  no 
means  always  implies  slavery;  cf.  20.8;  40.20,  and  other 
passages.  15.9,  Young  pigeon.  The  word  may  be  less 
specific,  and  here  possibly  means  young  bird  with- 
out indicating  the  species.  18.10,  Time  of  conception. 
I  am  not  sure  of  this  meaning.  20.16,  ''  See,  you  have  in 
it  an  atonement  for  all  that  concerns  you.''  So 
AFTER  ALL  SHE  WAS  SET  RIGHT.  The  translation  and 
meaning  of  these  two  clauses  are  quite  uncertain ;  an- 
other possible  interpretation  is  to  take  the  clause  as  a 
piece  of  bitter  sarcasm  with  an  allusion  by  Abimelech 
to  the  use  of  a  veil  by  married  women  {cf.  Rebekah's  act, 
24.65).  It  would  then  be  rendered  somewhat  as  follows: 
"  Now  let  it  get  you  a  married  woman's  veil  to  wear  be- 
fore all  who  are  with  you,  and  before  everybody;  then 
you  will  be  labeled."  21.30,  31,  Seven  ewe  lambs  .  .  . 
Beer-Sheba  [Well-of-the-Oath].  The  Hebrew  word 
Sheba  means  both  "  seven "  and  "  oath."  22.7,  One 
from  the  flock.  As  the  Hebrew  has  a  noun  of  unity 
for  the  class  of  animals  comprising  sheep  and  goats, 
which  I  sometimes  render  by  "  flock  "  and  sometimes  by 
"  sheep  and  goats,"  so  it  has  a  word  for  an  individual  of 
the  flock,  whether  sheep  or  goat.  This  word  I  here 
render  by  ''  one  from  the  flock,"  to  be  accurate. 

Origin. — This  section  records  the  death  of  Abraham 
and  the  prosperity  of  Isaac  thereafter  (25.11).  It  was 
therefore  composed  after  the  death  of  Abraham,  or  else 
it  was  then  added  to.  In  14.14  a  certain  city  is  called 
Dan :  but  from  Joshua  19.47  and  Judges  18.29  we  learn 
that  the  name  Dan  was  not  given  to  it  till  after  the 
Israelites    crossed    the    Jordan    under    Joshua.     Hence 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    7  151 

either  this  account  (Gen.  chap.  14)  was  not  composed 
until  then,  or  the  name  Leshem  or  Laish  of  the  original 
was  then  changed  to  Dan.  But  the  materials  of  this  sec- 
tion must  have  come  from  Abraham  and  Isaac ;  and  there 
is  no  material  in  the  section  indicating  a  later  origin  than 
the  time  of  Isaac.  We  may  therefore  ascribe  the  section 
to  Abraham  and  Isaac. 

Form. — It  is  a  series  of  narratives,  which  contain  a 
number  of  oracles  or  revelations  by  word.  It  traces  the 
history  of  Terah's  descendants  through  his  grandson 
Lot,  his  son  Nahor,  and  his  son  Abram,  until  the  two 
lines  of  Abram  and  Nahor  are  united  in  the  marriage 
of  Isaac  and  Rebekah.  The  section  is  made  up  of  twelve 
subsections,  which  have  the  appearance  of  more  or  less 
independent  literary  compositions,  and  which  are  not  to 
be  regarded  in  all  cases  as  meant  to  be  chronologically 
successive.  The  first  eleven  group  themselves  into  four 
larger  divisions ;  the  last  forms  a  sort  of  appendix. 

Contents. — Without  going  into  the  minuter  paragraph 
division,  wdiich  will  appear  sufficiently  from  the  text, 
these  divisions  may  be  summarized  as  follows.  The 
first  two  subsections  may  be  grouped  together  under  the 
title.    The    Segregation   of   Abram    (11.27 — i3-i^)- 

I.  The  Migration  to  Canaan  (11.27 — 12.9).  The  first 
step  is  the  separation  from  Nahor,  11.27-32.  After  the 
death  of  Haran,  one  of  Terah's  three  sons,  Terah  took 
his  own  son,  Abram,  his  deceased  son's  son,  Lot,  and 
Abram's  wife,  Sarai,  who  was  also  Terah's  daughter, 
and  emigrated  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldeans  toward  Canaan, 
leaving  his  other  son,  Nahor,  and  Milcah,  his  grand- 
daughter through  Haran  and  Nahor's  wife.  For  Nahor 
had  married  a  niece  and  Abram  a  sister.  The  account 
next  takes  us  from  Haran  to  Canaan,  12. 1-9.  The  impulse 
back  of  Terah's  migration  from  Ur  to  Haran  was  to  go 
to  Canaan,  but  he  stopped  at  Haran,  whither  also  Nahor 
came  (29.4).     But  after  the  death  of  Terah,  Abram  and 


152      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

Lot,  with  all  that  they  had,  proceeded  to  Canaan.  In 
this  Abram  was  obeying  a  revelation,  received  possibly 
before  he  left  Ur,  in  which  were  three  promises :  to  be 
given  a  country,  to  become  a  great  nation,  and  to  become 
a  blessing  to  all  the  nations.  Which  country  it  was  to  be 
was  designated  by  Jehovah's  appearance  to  him  near 
Shechem.  There  he  built  an  altar,  and  another  near 
Bethel  as  he  journeyed  on  toward  the  district  called  the 
"  South." 

2.  The  Visit  to  Egypt  and  Return  (12.10 — 13.18). 
We  are  told  first  of  Sarai's  rescue  from  Pharaoh. 
12.10-20.  A  famine  drove  Abram  to  Egypt,  where  he 
and  Sarai  used  falsehood  to  save  him  from  being  killed. 
In  consequence  she  was  taken  for  Pharaoh,  but  his 
attention  being  arrested  by  plagues,  he  discovered  that 
she  was  Abram's  wife,  and  thereupon  restored  her 
to  her  husband.  Emphasis  was  thus  put  upon  the  sanc- 
tity of  marriage.  After  the  return  from  Egypt  occurs 
the  separation  of  Abram  and  Lot,  13.1-13.  Abram  was 
the  head  of  a  patriarchal  family,  owning  many  slaves 
and  much  Hve  stock;  and  so  was  Lot.  To  avoid  strife 
between  their  herders,  Abram  proposed  a  separation, 
giving  Lot  the  choice  of  pasture-land ;  and  Lot  chose  the 
fertile  region  about  Sodom.  Herein  appears  a  radical 
difference  between  the  two.  Finally  comes  a  renewal  of 
the  promise  to  Abram,  13. 14- 18.  Lot  being  now  ex- 
cluded, Jehovah  promises  to  Abram  the  whole  country 
and  an  innumerable  posterity.  Abram  builds  a  third 
altar,  this  time  near  Hebron. 

In  the  group  formed  by  the  next  four  subsections 
(i4-i — ^7''27)^  we  learn  how  Abram  becomes  Abraham. 

3.  The  Invasion  of  the  Kings  (chap.  14).  Verses 
14.1-12  explain  the  capture  of  Lot.  Sodom  and  the 
neighboring  towns,  after  having  been  brought  under 
tribute  to  Kedorlaomer,  King  of  Elam,  rebelled.  This 
called  the  allies  from  the  East,  and  these  defeated  the 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    7  153 

King  of  Sodom  and  his  allies,  and  took  away  Lot  as 
a  prisoner  of  war.  In  14. 13-16  we  are  told  how  Abram 
rescued  Lot.  Gathering  his  own  318  warriors,  and  with 
three  allies,  he  pursued  and  surprised  the  allies  from 
the  East  near  Damascus,  and  recaptured  Lot  and  his 
possessions.  On  his  return  occurred  the  meeting  be- 
tween Abram  and  Melchizedek,  14.17-24.  Melchizedek, 
the  Priest-King  of  Salem,  who  worshipped  God  as  El 
Elyon,  or  God  Most  High,  came  out  and  blessed  him ; 
and  to  this  priest  Abram  paid  tithes  of  the  spoil.  Then, 
after  giving  a  due  share  to  his  allies,  he  restored  all  the 
rest  to  the  original  owners.  Abram  thus  appears  cath- 
olic, great  as  a  warrior,  and  unique  in  magnanimity. 

4.  The  New  Covenant  (chap.  15).  Jehovah  offered 
himself  to  Abram  as  a  shield  and  a  reward.  In  response 
to  Abram's  cry,  Jehovah  set  aside  his  servant,  Eliezer 
of  Damascus,  and  promised  him  a  child  of  his  own  for 
an  heir,  and  an  innumerable  posterity.  And  he  believed 
in  Jehovah;  and  he  reckoned  it  to  him  for  uprightness, 
thought  that  his  thus  believing  was  right.  For  ratifica- 
tion of  the  covenant  to  give  him  the  country,  he  was 
directed  to  sacrifice  a  heifer,  a  she-goat,  a  ram,  a  turtle- 
dove, and  a  young  pigeon,  dividing  them  and  laying 
piece  over  against  piece.  Here  is  the  old  ratification  of 
compact  by  death  of  victims.  A  deep  sleep  then  fell 
upon  Abram ;  and  in  a  horror  of  great  darkness,  he 
received  a  revelation  of  the  enslavement  of  his  descend- 
ants in  a  foreign  country  for  four  hundred  years,  since 
the  sin  of  the  Amorites  was  not  yet  consummate.  But 
in  the  ''  fourth  generation "  (does  this  mean  in  the 
fourth  period  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years,  as  the 
generation  is  reckoned  in  6.3?),  they  were  to  return. 
Finally  Abram  saw  a  smoking  furnace  and  a  flaming 
torch  pass  between  the  pieces,  in  symbol  of  Jehovah's 
thus  solemnly  assenting  to  the  compact. 

5.  Abram  and  Ishmael  (chap.  16).     Sarai,  seeing  her- 


154      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

self  barren,  gave  Abram  her  slave  woman  Hagar,  an 
Egyptian,  under  an  arrangement  whereby  her  children 
were  to  be  counted  as  Sarai's.  Before  the  birth  of  her 
first  child,  Hagar  ran  away  from  her  mistress ;  but  by 
an  angel  of  Jehovah,  who  gave  her  the  promise  of  a 
son,  she  was  sent  back.  Her  son  was  born ;  and  Abram, 
according  to  the  instruction  of  the  angel  to  the  mother, 
called   him   Ishmael,   which   means   God-Heareth. 

6.  The  Institution  of  Circumcision  (chap.  17).  The 
change  of  Abram's  name  is  first  recounted,  17. 1-8. 
Thirteen  years  after  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  that  is,  when 
Abram  was  ninety-nine  years  old,  Jehovah  appeared  to 
him  as  God  Almighty,  and  renewed  and  amended  the 
covenant  with  him,  extending  it  to  his  posterity  through 
all  their  generations,  and  changing  his  name  from 
Abram  (Exalted-Father)  to  Abraham  (Father-of-a- 
Multitude).  A  new  institution  is  then  inaugurated  by 
God,  17.9- 14.  The  seal  of  the  covenant  is  to  be  the 
circumcision  of  each  male  that  by  birth,  or  in  any  other 
way,  becomes  a  member  of  Abraham's  family.  In  the 
case  of  newborn  children  this  was  to  be  done  on  the 
eighth  day.  Here  was  a  sort  of  sacrifice  of  human 
blood,  and  of  such  human  blood  as  signifies  the  special 
consecration  of  the  power  of  becoming  a  parent.  Je- 
hovah then  completes  his  revelation  by  also  changing 
Sarai's  name,  17. 15-21.  From  Sarai  she  becomes 
Sarah  (Princess).  Abraham  is  promised  that  he  shall 
have  a  son  by  her,  although  she  is  now  ninety  years 
old;  and  her  son,  whose  name  is  to  be  Isaac  (Laughter), 
is  to  be  the  heir  of  the  covenant  instead  of  Ishmael. 
The  subsection  ends  with  an  account  of  Abraham's 
obedience  to  the  divine  revelation,  17.23-27.  Abraham, 
Ishmael,  and  all  the  males  are  circumcised.  Thus  the 
blood  compact  is  ratified. 

The  next  three  subsections  may  be  taken  together  as 
telling  of  Abraham  and  Isaac  (18.1 — 22.19). 


NOTES   TO    SECTION   7  155 

7.  The  Visit  to  Abraham  and  Destruction  of  Sodom 
(chaps.  18  and  19).  We  are  first  told  how  the  promise 
of  Isaac  was  renewed,  18.1-15.  Jehovah  appeared  again 
to  Abraham,  this  time  as  one  of  three  men.  They  were 
entertained ;  Sarah  laughed  when  she  heard  the  promise 
of  a  son,  and  then  denied  having  laughed.  Verses  16-33 
tell  us  of  Abraham's  intercession  for  Sodom.  Having 
decided  to  make  known  to  Abraham  his  purpose  to 
destroy  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  Jehovah  let  the  other 
two  go  on  to  Sodom,  heard  the  intercession  of  Abraham, 
and  agreed  not  to  destroy  Sodom  if  he  found  even  ten 
upright  men  there.  In  verses  19.1-11  the  visit  of  the 
angels  to  Lot  in  Sodom  is  described.  A  strong  picture 
is  given  of  the  hospitality  and  uprightness  of  Lot  in 
contrast  with  the  unspeakable  corruption  of  the  Sodom- 
ites. At  the  same  time  there  is  painful  evidence  of 
fault  in  Lot,  especially  in  not  protecting  the  purity  of 
his  daughters.  Lot's  rescue  out  of  Sodom  is  then  re- 
counted, 19.12-29.  He  was  unable  to  take  with  him 
anyone,  except  his  two  engaged  but  still  unmarried 
daughters,  even  his  wife  perishing  when  almost  res- 
cued. Only  Soar  (Little),  a  small  place,  was  spared  at 
his  intercession  out  of  all  the  Plain  or  Circle  around 
Sodom.  The  subsection  ends  by  giving  an  account  of 
the  shameful  origin  of  the  Moabites  and  Amorites, 
19.30-38,  an  account  which  belongs  in  this  section  as  a 
part  of  the  history  of  the  descendants  of  Terah.  Terah's 
son  Haran  had  had  a  son  Lot ;  and  now  this  Lot  has 
two  sons  by  his  own  daughters.  And  these  great-grand- 
sons of  Terah's  become  ancestors  of  two  peoples  that  are 
to  have  most  important  relations  with  the  descendants 
of  Terah  through  Abraham. 

8.  Abraham  at  Gerar  (chaps.  20  and  21).  In 
chapter  20  we  learn  of  Abraham's  experience  with 
Abimelech.  As  Abram  and  Sarai  were  saved  from  Pha- 
raoh in  spite  of  their  weakness  and  falsehood,  so  Abra- 


156      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

ham  and  Sarah  were  saved  from  Abimelech,  a  king  of  the 
"  South,"  in  spite  of  the  same  weakness  and  falsehood. 
Here  Abimelech  appears  as  himself  also  a  worshipper 
of  God.  There  follows  (at  how  long  an  interval  we 
are  not  told)  the  birth  and  circumcision  of  Isaac,  21. 1-7. 
Then  we  have  the  account  of  Ishmael's  being  cast  out, 
2 1. 8-2 1.  Very  significant  is  this  expulsion  of  Abraham's 
son  Ishmael  with  his  slave  mother,  so  that  he  should  not 
inherit  with  Sarah's  son  Isaac.  Hence  arises  another 
people  descended  from  Terah,  the  Ishmaelites,  who  also 
are  to  have  important  relations  with  the  chosen  race  of 
Isaac.  The  subsection  ends  with  the  compact,  or  treaty, 
instituted  between  Abimelech  and  Abraham,  21.22-34. 
It  is  important  to  note  this  treaty  of  peace  for  their 
descendants  between  Abraham  and  one  of  the  race  of 
the  Philistines.  Also  noteworthy  is  the  ratification  of 
the  oath  by  the  sacrifice  of  seven  ewe  lambs,  the  Hebrew 
for  seven  and  for  oath  being  the  same  word. 

9.  The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,  (22.1-19).  Since  x\braham 
believed  that  Isaac,  who  was  not  yet  a  father,  would 
become  ancestor  of  an  innumerable  multitude,  he 
must  have  expected  his  bodily  resurrection  after  he 
was  slain  and  burned  to  ashes.  Herein  lay  an  essential 
difference:  other  nations  offered  human  sacrifices  to 
their  gods,  committing  their  victims  thus  to  destruction ; 
but  Abraham,  in  proceeding  to  sacrifice  to  his  God  the 
potential  father  of  the  promised  posterity,  did  not  com- 
mit him  to  destruction,  but  to  becoming  sacred  to  God, 
in  the  sense  that  was  signified  by  circumcision,  but  still 
more  profoundly  and  wholly  than  circumcision  could 
signify.  In  the  requirement  after  all  that  a  ram  which 
God  had  provided  should  be  substituted  for  Isaac,  God 
rejected  human  sacrifices  as  not  being  acceptable  to  him, 
and  indicated  that  he  would  yet  provide  for  himself  a 
sacrifice  that  would  be  acceptable.  For  the  animal  was, 
of  course,  but  a  symbol. 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    7  157 

The  next  two  subsections  fall  together  as  telling  of 
The  Union  of  the  Lines  of  Abraham  and  Nahor  (22.20— 
24.67). 

10.  The  Death  and  Burial  of  Sarah  (22.20—23.20). 
The  subsection  is  prefaced  by  an  account  of  the  children 
of  Nahor  and  Milcah,  22.20-24,  which  has  little  organic 
connection  with  what  immediately  follows  and  should 
perhaps  be  reckoned  a  separate  division.  It  is,  how- 
ever, not  inappropriate  that  just  before  the  mother  of 
Isaac  dies,  leaving  him  the  sole  hope  of  posterity  for 
Abraham,  the  other  line  of  descendants  of  Terah  should 
be  brought  into  view.  Mention  is  made  of  the  grandson 
of  Terah,  Bethuel,  the  father  of  Rebekah,  through  whom 
the  two  lines  are  presently  to  be  joined.  The  rest  of 
the  subsection  tells  of  Sarah's  burial,  23.1-20.  Abraham 
shows  his  abiding  faith  in  the  promises  of  the  covenant 
by  purchasing  in  the  promised  land  a  burial-place  for 
Sarah,  thus  beginning  a  family  burial-ground  in  what 
he  believed  would  yet  become  his  family's  property. 

11.  The  Marriage  of  Isaac  and  Rebekah  (chap.  24). 
In  this  exquisitely  beautiful  story,  shall  we  most  ad- 
mire the  faith  of  Abraham,  the  piety  and  fidelity  of 
Eliezer,  who  was  to  be  displaced  by  Isaac  as  Abraham's 
heir,  or  the  decision  of  the  girl  Rebekah?  Certainly 
these  characters  shine  as  over  against  her  brother  Laban. 
And  certainly  one  thing  is  clear,  that  Jehovah  willed  the 
union  of  these  two  lines  of  Terah  in  the  marriage  of 
Isaac  and  Rebekah.  We  have,  moreover,  at  last  a  pure 
marriage  of  love  between  one  man  and  one  woman,  a 
consecrated  parenthood. 

12.  Abraham's  Other  Descendants  and  Death  (25.1- 
11).  This  short  subsection  seems  added  as  a  sort  of 
appendix  to  gather  up  omitted  details  and  round  out  the 
story  to  completion.  In  the  account  of  Keturah's  sons, 
25.1-6,  it  is  not  meant  that  Abraham  took  another  wife 
after  the  death  of  Sarah ;  but,  as  is  the  custom  in  He- 


158      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

brew  narrative,  there  is  at  this  place  a  recurrence  to  an 
eariier  point  of  time,  in  order  to  record  something  that 
has  been  neglected  hitherto  while  other  lines  of  the 
narrative  were  proceeding  to  their  end.  Only  Sarah 
had  the  status  of  wife  in  the  higher  sense  of  the 
term,  nor  was  there  ever  any  serious  thought  of  making 
the  children  of  this  concubine  the  same  in  status  as  the 
children  of  a  wife.  Such  a  thought  did  arise  in  con- 
nection with  Ishmael,  because  the  original  arrangement 
was  that  Hagar's  children  should  be  counted  as  Sarah's. 
But  all  the  children  of  his  concubines  Abraham  por- 
tioned and  sent  away  from  Isaac  while  he,  Abraham, 
was  still  alive.  In  conclusion  we  have  Abraham's  death 
and  burial,  25.7-1 1.  His  sons  Isaac  and  Ishmael  buried 
him  in  Machpelah  with  Sarah  his  wife. 

Facts  and  Teachings. — Abraham  was  75  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Canaan,  86  at  the  birth  of  Ishmael, 
99  at  his  circumcision,  100  at  the  birth  of  Isaac,  137  at 
the  death  of  Sarah,  and  175  at  his  own  death.  Isaac 
was  therefore  about  40,  not  more,  at  his  marriage,  and 
75  at  the  death  of  Abraham.  Sarah  was  ten  years 
younger  than  Abraham ;  she  was  therefore  65  when  she 
came  to  Canaan,  76  at  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  90  at  the 
birth  of  Isaac,  and  127  at  her  death.  If  we  assume  that 
the  normal  limit  of  life  is  now  80  and  was  then  120, 
and  reduce  the  figures  proportionally,  then,  proportion- 
ally, he  was  50  and  she  was  43  when  they  came  to 
Canaan,  he  was  57  and  she  51  at  the  birth  of  Ishmael, 
he  was  67  and  she  60  at  the  birth  of  Isaac,  she  was  85 
at  her  death,  and  he  was  117  at  his  death.  On  the  same 
scale,  she  was  not  much  over  50  when  she  attracted 
Pharaoh  and  Abimelech.  These  comparative  figures 
may  enable  us  to  get  the  perspective  better. 

From  the  narrative  itself  we  learn  much  of  the  his- 
torical environment.  There  was  a  great  kingdom  in 
Egypt,    a    confederation    of    kingdoms    in    the    Tigris- 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    7  159 

Euphrates  valley,  and  many  petty  kings  and  nomadic 
tribes  between.  The  moral  and  rcli.c^ious  corruption  was 
general  and  profound.  Human  sacrifice,  falsehood,  and 
polygamy  were  practised,  even  by  the  righteous,  without 
their  being  conscious  of  the  sin  in  them.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  were  other  worshipers  of  the  true  God  be- 
sides x\braham  ;  and  to  one  of  his  priests,  Melchisedek, 
even  Abraham  paid  tithes. 

Out  of  this  general  and  profound  corruption,  Jehovah 
made  selection  of  one  family  among  his  worshipers  and 
segregated  that  family  from  other  families,  by  mar- 
riage within  itself,  even  marriage  with  sisters,  by  be- 
ginning to  attach  them  to  a  country  of  their  own, 
outside  of  which  Abraham  seems  to  have  built  no  altar, 
and  by  covenant  regulations. 

These  covenants  or  compacts  were  one  covenant,  all 
being  merely  modifications  of  the  primitive  covenant  of 
friendship  with  Jehovah.  In  its  Abrahamic  form  this 
covenant  promised  him  out  of  his  own  loins  a  great 
nation  in  a  specified  country,  but  a  nation  which  was  to 
be  a  blessing  to  all  the  nations.  The  ratification  of 
this,  as  of  all  more  solemn  compacts,  we  see  to  have 
been  accomplished  by  sacrifice;  even  when  there  was 
an  oath  between  men,  it  was  upon  slain  victims.  This 
practice  would  seem  to  have  been  an  imitation  of  the 
way  of  Jehovah  in  the  ratification  of  his  covenants, 
all  of  which  were  blood-compacts. 

The  covenant  of  circumcision  stands  out  prominent 
and  unique  in  that  it  was  a  covenant  in  human  blood, 
and  involved  the  special  consecration  of  the  potenti- 
ality of  parenthood.  It  thus  glorified  marriage.  Even 
into  polygamous  corruption  came  this  ideal  of  a  holy 
marriage  under  a  compact  of  Jehovah  with  the  parents 
and  their  oflfspring  after  them. 

This  ideal  was  not  a  dream  or  suggestion  of  man, 
an   evolution   of   an   inherent  and   unaided   tendency   to 


i6o      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    TERAH 

righteousness.  There  were  revelations,  real  oracles 
from  Jehovah,  through  dreams,  through  angels,  and 
even  through  theophanies  or  visible  manifestations  of 
Jehovah  himself.  The  new  status  into  which  he  brought 
his  covenant  friends  was  certified  to  them  by  these  self- 
evidencing  revelations  and  by  predictions  verified  and  to 
be  verified,  as  well  as  outwardly  symbolized  to  them  in 
prescribed  rites  and  new  names. 

The  great  symbol  was  sacrifice.  The  victim  was  a 
substitute  for  the  worshiper;  and  this  idea  of  substitu- 
tion got  in  the  case  of  Isaac  a  firm  grounding.  At  the 
same  time,  while  the  substitute  victim  was  devoted  to 
death,  this  death  was  not  for  destruction,  but  for  utter 
consecration.  Hence  sacrificial  death  meant  resurrec- 
tion to  a  new  life. 


SECTION   8 

25.       12    AND   THESE    ARE    THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    ISHMAEL, 

SON     OF     ABRAHAM, 

WHOM     HAGAR    THE    EGYPTIAN,     SARAH's     MAID,    BORE    TO 

ABRAHAM 

1^  These  are  the  names  of  Ishmael's  sons,  their  names 
passing  over  to  their  descendants : 

Nebaioth,  Ishmael's  eldest; 

Kedar,  Adbeel,  Mibsam,  ^^  Mishma,  Dumah,  and 
Massa ; 

1^  Hadar  and  Tema; 

Jetur ; 

Naphish  and  Kedamah. 

1^  These  are  the  sons  of  Ishmael,  and  these  their  names 
by  villages  and  encampments,  there  being  twelve  sheikhs 
over  their  clans. 

1"^  When  the  length  of  Ishmael's  life  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  years,  breathing  his  last,  he 
died  and  joined  his  people. 

1^  They  made  their  home  from  Havilah  as  far  as  Shur, 
which  is  along  the  boundary  of  Egypt  in  the  direction 
of  Assyria. 

"  In  the  face  of  all  his  brothers  "  he  settled  down. 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    8 

Origin. — Since  Ishmael  was  137  years  old  at  his  death, 
he  died  when  Isaac  was  123,  or  57  years  before  Isaac 

161 


i62     THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   ISHMAEL 

died.  The  section  contains  nothing  that  might  not 
have  been  collected  by  Isaac. 

Form. — It  is  a  bit  of  genealogy,  and  a  bit  of  narrative. 

Contents. — It  enumerates  the  twelve  sons  of  Ishmael, 
apparently  making  five  groups  of  them,  though  for  what 
reason  we  do  not  know.  Then  Ishmael's  death  is  nar- 
rated, and  the  abode  of  his  descendants  located,  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  made  for  him  to  his  mother 
by  the  angel  (16.12)  being  noted. 

Its  reason  for  being  in  Genesis  at  all  is  the  close  re- 
lation of  the  Ishmaelites  to  the  chosen  people. 


SECTION    9 

25.      ^^   AND   THESE   ARE  THE  DESCENDANTS   OF   ISAAC,    SON 
OF    ABRAHAM 

Abraham  became  the  father  of  Isaac.  20  Isaac  was 
forty  years  old  when  he  married  Rebekah,  the  daughter 
of  Bethuel  the  Aramean,  of  Paddan-Aram,  and  the  sister 
of  Laban  the  Aramean. 

21  Isaac  entreated  Jehovah  in  behalf  of  his  wife,  be- 
cause she  was  barren.  Jehovah  granted  his  entreaty, 
and  his  wife  Rebekah  conceived.  22  g^^^  the  children 
struggled  with  each  other  within  her,  and  she  said, 

"If  all  is  right,  why  am  I  thus?" 
and  she  went  to  ask  Jehovah.     23  Jehovah  said  to  her, 

"  Two  nations  are  in  thy  womb. 

And  two  separate  states  shall  come  from  thy  body; 
But  state  shall  be  stronger  than  state. 
And  the  elder  shall  serve  the  younger." 

24  When  her  time  was  up,  there  in  her  womb  were 
twins.  25  -pi^e  flj-gt  came  out  red,  like  a  cloak  covered 
with  hair  all  over;  and  they  named  him  Esau  [Hairy]. 
26  After  that  his  brother  came  out  with  his  hand  clutch- 
ing Esau's  heel;  and  they  named  him  Jacob  ["  Heeler"]. 
Isaac  was  sixty  years  old  when  they  were  born. 


27  When  the  boys  grew  up,  Esau  became  an  expert 
hunter  and  an  out-of-door  man ;  but  Jacob  a  man  orderly 

163 


i64      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

and  domestic.     ^8  Isaac  loved  Esau,  because  he  liked  his 
game ;  but  Rebekah  loved  Jacob. 

29  Once  when  Jacob  prepared  a  stew,  Esau  came  in 
from  the  open  country,  exhausted. 

^^  "  Let  me  cram  down  some  of  the  red  stuff,  please, 
that  red  stuff,"  he  said  to  Jacob ;  "  for  I  am  exhausted." 

(From  that  came  his  name  Edom  [Red].) 

21  ''  First  sell  me  your  birthright,"  said  Jacob. 

22  *'  Well,"  repHed  Esau,  "  I  am  just  about  to  die;  and 
what  will  a  birthright  be  worth  to  me  ?  " 

22  "  First  swear  to  me,"  Jacob  said. 

Then  he  swore  to  him ;  so  he  sold  his  birthright  to 
Jacob.  24  Thereupon  Jacob  gave  Esau  some  food  and 
lentil-stew ;  and  he  ate  and  drank,  and  got  up  and  went 
away. 

Thus  Esau  treated  his  birthright  with  contempt. 


26.  1  There  came  a  famine  in  the  land,  another  than 
the  former  famine  that  was  in  the  time  of  Abraham, 
and  Isaac  visited  Abimelech,  the  King  of  the  Philistines, 
in  Gerar.  2  Thereupon  Jehovah  appeared  to  him  and 
said, 

"  Do  not  go  down  into  Egypt.  Settle  in  the  country 
that  I  tell  you  of;  2  live  an  alien  in  this  country,  and  let 
me  be  with  you  and  bless  you ;  for  to  you  and  your  off- 
spring I  will  give  all  these  countries,  and  will  establish 
the  oath  I  swore  to  your  father  Abraham.  *  I  will  also 
increase  your  offspring  like  the  stars  of  the  sky,  and  will 
give  your  offspring  all  these  countries ;  and  in  your  off- 
spring all  the  nations  of  the  world  shall  be  blessed — ^ 
because  Abraham  obeyed  me  and  observed  what  I  told 
him, — my  commandments,   laws,   and  instructions." 

^  So  Isaac  settled  in  Gerar. 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  165 

'^  When  the  men  of  the  place  asked  him  about  his  wife, 
he  said, 

"  She  is  my  sister," 
for  he  was  afraid  to  say  "  my  wife," — '*  for  fear  the  men 
of  the  place  may  kill  me  on  account  of  Rebekah,  because 
she  is  beautiful." 

^  But  it  happened,  when  he  had  been  there  a  long 
time,  that  Abimelech,  the  King  of  the  Philistines,  looked 
out  of  a  window,  and  there  he  saw  Isaac  toying  with  his 
wife  Rebekah.  ^  Then  Abimelech  summoned  Isaac,  and 
said, 

''  Now  surely  she  is  your  wife !  How  did  you  come 
to  say,  '  She  is  my  sister '  ?  " 

"  Because,"  Isaac  answered  him,  "  I  thought,  '  What 
if  I  die  on  her  account? '  " 

10  "  What  is  this  you  have  done  to  us  ?  "  replied  Abime- 
lech. ''  Some  citizen  might  well  have  been  with  your 
wife,  and  you  would  have  brought  punishment  on  us  for 
an  inconsiderate  deed." 

^1  Then  Abimelech  commanded  the  whole  people : 

''  He  who  touches  this  man  or  his  wife  shall  die." 

12  Isaac  sowed  in  that  country  and  harvested  that  year 
a  hundredfold,  and  Jehovah  blessed  him.  ^^  So  the  man 
succeeded,  and  continued  to  succeed  till  he  became  a 
very  great  man.  ^^  He  had  live  stock,  including  sheep, 
goats,  and  cattle,  and  many  slaves.  Bat  the  Philistines 
were  envious  of  him ;  ^^  and  all  the  wells  that  his  father's 
servants  had  dug  in  the  time  of  his  father  Abraham  the 
Philistines  had  stopped  up  and  filled  with  dust.  ^^  Now 
Abimelech  said  to  him, 

"  Leave  us,  for  you  are  much  more  powerful  than 
we. 

^'^  So  Isaac  left,  and  camped  in  the  Wady  of  Gerar  and 
lived  there.  ^^  He  dug  again  the  wells  of  water  that 
they  had  dug  in  the  time  of  his  father  Abraham,  and 


i66      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

called  them  by  the  same  names  as  his  father.  ^^  Isaac's 
servants  dug  also  in  the  wady  and  found  there  a  well 
of  fresh  water.  20  g^^.  ^he  herders  of  Gerar  quarreled 
with  Isaac's  herders,  and  said, 

**  The  water  is  ours." 

So  he  named  the  well  Esek  [Persecution],  because  they 
persecuted  him.  21  They  dug  another  well,  and  they 
quarreled  about  that  one  too ;  and  he  named  it  Sitnah 
[Hostility].  22  Then  he  moved  away,  and  dug  another 
well.  This  one  they  did  not  quarrel  about ;  so  he  named 
it  Rehoboth  [Room],  and  said, 

"  Now  Jehovah  has  made  room  for  us,  and  we  shall 
be  fruitful  in  the  country." 

23  From  there  he  went  up  to  Beer-Sheba.  ^4  That 
night  Jehovah  appeared  to  him,  and  said, 

''  I  am  the  God  of  your  father  Abraham.  Do  not  be 
afraid,  for  I  am  with  you  and  will  bless  you  and  increase 
your  offspring  for  the  sake  of  my  servant  Abraham." 

2^  There  he  built  an  altar  and  called  Jehovah  by  name 
in  prayer.  He  tented  there,  and  there  Isaac's  servants 
dug  a  well. 

26  Abimelech  came  to  see  him  from  Gerar,  with  his 
friend  Ahuzzath  and  Phicol  the  general  of  his  army;  27 
and  Isaac  said  to  them, 

"  Why  have  you  come  to  see  me,  when  you  hate  me 
and  have  sent  me  away  from  you  ?  " 

28  "  We  see  plainly,"  they  said,  "  that  Jehovah  has  been 
with  you ;  and  so  we  say,  Let  there  now  be  an  oath  be- 
tween us, — between  you  and  us, — and  let  us  make  a  com- 
pact with  you  29  that  you  will  do  us  no  harm,  just  as  we 
have  never  assaulted  you,  have  only  done  you  good,  and 
have  let  you  go  away  safe  and  sound,  now  that  you  are 
blessed  by  Jehovah." 

^^  So  he  entertained  them,  and  they  ate  and  drank. 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  167 

'^  They  rose  early  in  the  morning  and  swore  to  each 
other.  Then  Isaac  let  them  go,  and  they  went  away 
satisfied. 

^2  The  same  day  Isaac's  servants  came  in  and  told 
him  about  the  well  they  had  dug,  and  said  to  him, 

"  We  have  found  water." 

2^  He  named  it  Sheba  [Oath].  From  that  circum- 
stance the  name  of  the  town  has  been  Beer-Sheba 
[Well-of-the-Oath],  down  to  the  present  time. 


34  When  Esau  was  forty  years  old  he  married  Judith 
the  daughter  of  Beeri  the  Hittite,  and  Basemath  the 
daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite.  ^^  These  embittered  the 
lives  of  Isaac  and  Rebekah. 

27.  1  One  day  when  Isaac  was  old  and  his  eyes  were 
too  dim  to  see,  he  called  his  older  son  Esau  and  said  to 
him, 

"  My  son." 

''  Here  I  am,"  he  answered. 

2  "  See,"  he  replied,  "  now  I  am  old ;  I  do  not  know 
the  day  of  my  death.  ^  Take  your  weapons  now,  will 
you  not,  your  quiver  and  bow,  and  go  out  to  the  open 
country  and  get  some  game  for  me ;  ^  and  make  me  some 
of  the  palatable  dishes  such  as  I  love,  and  bring  them 
to  me  and  let  me  eat  them,  so  that  my  very  soul  may  bless 
you  before  I  die." 

^  Rebekah  was  listening  when  Isaac  spoke  to  his  son 
Esau.  When  Esau  had  gone  out  into  the  open  country 
to  get  the  game  to  bring  in,  ^  she  said  to  her  son  Jacob, 

"  Look  now ;  I  heard  your  father  speaking  to  your 
brother  Esau,  and  saying, 


i68      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

'^  "  '  Bring  me  some  game  and  make  me  some 
palatable  dishes,  and  let  me  eat  them  and  bless 
you  in  the  presence  of  Jehovah  before  I  die.' 

^  "  Now,  my  son,  obey  me  in  what  I  am  going  to  direct 
you  to  do.  ^  Go,  please,  to  the  flock  and  get  me  from 
there  two  good  kids,  and  let  me  make  out  of  them  for 
your  father  some  of  the  palatable  dishes  such  as  your 
father  loves.  ^^  Then  you  take  them  in  to  your  father 
and  let  him  eat  them,  so  that  he  may  bless  you  before  he 
dies." 

11  "  But  look,"  said  Jacob  to  his  mother  Rebekah ; 
"  my  brother  Esau  is  a  hairy  man,  whereas  I  am  smooth- 
skinned.  12  Suppose  my  father  feels  me,  and  it  seems 
to  him  as  if  I  were  jeering  at  him,  and  I  bring  on  my- 
self a  curse  and  not  a  blessing?" 

1^  "  Let  your  curse  fall  on  me,  my  son,"  his  mother 
said  to  him ;  "  only  obey  me,  and  go  and  get  them  for 
me." 

1^  So  Jacob  went  and  got  them,  and  brought  them  to 
his  mother;  and  his  mother  made  some  of  the  palatable 
dishes  such  as  his  father  loved,  i^  Then  Rebekah  got 
her  older  son  Esau's  best  clothes,  which  were  with  her 
in  the  house,  and  put  them  on  her  younger  son  Jacob ;  i^ 
and  on  his  hands  and  on  the  smooth  part  of  his  neck  she 
put  the  skins  of  the  kids,  i^  Then  she  handed  her  son 
Jacob  the  palatable  dishes  and  the  food  she  had  prepared. 

1^  He  came  in  to  his  father  and  said, 

"My  father." 

"  Here  I  am,"  he  replied.     "  Who  are  you,  my  son?  " 

1^  "  I  am  Esau,  your  elder,"  Jacob  answered  his  father. 
"  I  have  done  as  you  told  me.  Now  come,  if  you  please, 
sit  down  and  eat  some  of  my  game,  so  that  your  very 
soul  may  bless  me." 

20  "  How  is  it  that  you  found  it  so  quickly,  my  son  ?  " 
Isaac  replied  to  his  son. 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  169 

"  Because  your  God,  Jehovah,  sent  it  in  front  of  me," 
he  answered. 

21 "  Come  up  close  to  me,  please,"  Isaac  said  to  Jacob, 
*'  and  let  me  feel  you,  my  son,  and  see  whether  you  are 
indeed  my  son  Esau  or  not." 

22  Jacob  came  up  close  to  his  father  Isaac,  and  he  felt 
him. 

"  The  voice  is  Jacob's  voice,"  he  said ;  "  but  the  hands 
are  Esau's  hands." 

2^  But  he  did  not  recognize  him,  because  his  hands 
were  hairy  like  his  brother  Esau's ;  and  so  he  blessed 
him. 

24  He  asked,  '*  Are  you  truly  my  son  Esau  ?  " 
"  I  am,"  he  replied. 

25  "  Bring  the  food  up  close  to  me,"  he  said,  "  and  let 
me  eat  some  of  my  son's  game,  so  that  my  very  soul  may 
bless  you." 

He  brought  it  up  close  to  him,  and  he  ate;  and  he 

brought  him  wine,  and  he  drank.     ^6  Xhen  his   father 

Isaac  said  to  him, 

"  Come  up  close,  please,  and  kiss  me,  my  son." 

2"^  When  he  came  up  close  and  kissed  him,  he  smelled 

the  odor  of  his  clothes.     Then  he  blessed  him  in  these 

words : 

"  See,  the  smell  of  my  son 
Is  like  the  smell  of  a  field  that  Jehovah  hath 

blessed. 
28  May  God  give  thee  dew  of  the  skies  and  fat 
places  of  the  earth. 
An  abundance  also  of  new  grain  and   new 
wine. 
29   May  peoples  serve  thee, 

And  states  bow  down  to  thee. 
Be  the  sovereign  of  thy  kinsmen, 


i^o      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF   ISAAC 

And   may  thy   mother's   sons   bow  down  to 
thee. 
Cursed  be  he  that  ciirseth  thee, 
And  blessed  be  he  that  blesseth  thee." 

20  Hardly  had  Isaac  finished  blessing  Jacob  or  had 
Jacob  quite  gone  out  from  his  father  Isaac's  presence, 
when  his  brother  Esau  came  in  from  his  hunting.  ^^ 
Then  he  also  prepared  some  palatable  dishes  and  brought 
them  in  to  his  father.     He  said  to  his  father, 

**  Let  my  father  come  and  eat  some  of  his  son's  game, 
so  that  your  very  soul  may  bless  me." 

32  "Who  are  you?"  his  father  Isaac  said  to  him. 

"  I  am  your  son."  he  answered ;  "  your  elder,  Esau." 

22  Isaac  trembled  and  was  violently  agitated. 

*'  But  who  then  was  the  one  who  got  some  game  and 
brought  it  in  to  me?  "  he  said ;  ''  and  I  ate  of  it  all  before 
you  came  in,  and  blessed  him !  Yes,  and  he  will  be 
blessed !  " 

2*  As  soon  as  Esau  heard  his  father's  words,  he  uttered 
an  intensely  loud  and  bitter  cry,  and  said  to  his  father : 

''  Bless  me,  me  too,  my  father." 

25  But  he  said,  "  Your  brother  has  come  by  deceit 
and  taken  your  blessing." 

26  "  Is  it  not  true,"  he  said,  "that  his  name  is  Jacob? 
Now  he  has  overreached  me  these  two  times :  he  took  my 
birthright  and  now,  see,  he  has  taken  my  blessing." 

"  Have  you  not,"  he  went  on,  "  kept  any  blessing  for 
me?" 

27  But  Isaac  made  answer  to  Esau  as  follows : 

''  Well,  I  have  made  him  '  your  sovereign,'  and  all  his 
kinsmen  I  have  given  him  for  '  servants,'  and  with  *  new 
grain  and  new  wine  '  I  have  supplied  him.  What  then 
can  I  do  for  you,  my  son  ?  " 

28  ''Have  you  just  one  blessing,  my  father?"  Esau 
replied  to  his  father.     "  Bless  me,  me  too,  my  father !  " 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  171 

And  Esau  began  to  weep  aloud.  ^9  His  father  Isaac 
made  answer  to  him  as  foKows: 

*'  Behold,  fat  places  of  the  earth  shall  be  thy  dwelling- 
place, 
And  dew  of  the  skies  above; 

^0  But  by  thy  sword  thou  shalt  live, 
And  thy  brother  thou  shalt  serve ; 

Yet  it  shall  come  about,  when  thou  dost  throw 

off  restraint. 
That  thou  shalt  break  his  yoke  off  thy  neck." 

^1  Esau  hated  Jacob  on  account  of  the  blessing  that  his 
father  gave  him ;  and  he  said  to  himself, 

''  The  days  of  mourning  for  my  father  are  approach- 
ing, and  then  I  will  kill  my  brother  Jacob." 

^2  But  when  her  elder  son  Esau's  words  were  told  to 
Rebekah,  she  sent  and  summoned  her  younger  son  Jacob 
and  said  to  him, 

"  See,  your  brother  Esau  is  consoling  himself  about  you 
by  the  thought  of  killing  you.  ^^  Now,  my  son,  Hsten  to 
me:  flee  at  once  to  my  brother  Laban  at  Haran,  ^^  and 
stay  with  him  awhile,  till  your  brother's  rage  is  ap- 
peased;— ^5  till  your  brother's  anger  is  so  far  diverted 
from  you  that  he  forgets  what  you  have  done  to  him,  and 

1  send  and  get  you  from  there.     For  why  should  I  be 
bereaved  of  you  both  in  one  day  ?  " 

^^  Then  Rebekah  said  to  Isaac, 

"  My  life  is  made  miserable  by  the  presence  of  the 
Hittite  women ;  if  Jacob  is  to  marry  one  of  the  Hittite 
women  like  these,  one  of  the  women  of  the  country, 
what  is  life  worth  to  me?" 

28.  ^  Then  Isaac  summoned  Jacob,  and  blessing  him, 
gave  him  this  command : 

'*  You  shall  not  marry  any  of  the  Canaanite  women. 

2  Set  out  and  go  to  Paddan-Aram,  to  the  home  of  your 
mother's   father   Bethuel,   and   there   marry   one  of  the 


172      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

daughters  of  your  mother's  brother  Laban.  ^  jy^^y  El 
Shaddai  bless  you,  make  you  fruitful  and  multiply  you, 
and  let  you  become  a  confederation  of  peoples.  ^  May 
he  give  to  you  the  blessing  of  Abraham,  and  to  your 
offspring  with  you  as  well,  so  that  you  may  come  to 
possess  the  country  where  you  have  lived  as  an  alien, 
which  God  gave  Abraham." 

^  So  it  was  that  Isaac  sent  Jacob  away,  and  that  he 
went  to  Paddan-Aram,  to  Laban,  the  son  of  Bethuel  the 
Aramean,  and  the  brother  of  Jacob  and  Esau's  mother 
Rebekah. 

^  When  Esau  saw  how  Isaac  blessed  Jacob  and  sent 
him  to  Paddan-Aram  to  marry  there,  and  how  while 
blessing  him  he  gave  him  this  command : 

"  You  shall  not  marry  a  Canaanite  woman," 
'^  and  how  Jacob  had  obeyed  his  father  and  mother  and 
had  gone  to  Paddan-Aram, — ^  when  Esau  saw  how  ob- 
jectionable to  his  father  Isaac  the  Canaanite  women  were, 
^  then  he  went  to  Ishmael,  and  married,  in  addition  to  the 
wives  he  had,  a  sister  of  Nebaioth,  Mahalath,  a  daughter 
of  Abraham's  son  Ishmael. 


^^  Jacob  left  Beer-Sheba  and  was  going  toward  Haran, 
11  when  he  arrived  at  a  certain  place  and  spent  the 
night  there,  because  the  sun  had  gone  down.  He  took 
some  of  the  stones  of  the  place  and  made  them  his  pil- 
low, and  lay  down  in  that  place.  ^^  He  dreamed,  and 
there  was  a  stairway  resting  on  the  earth  with  its  top 
reaching  to  the  heavens,  and  there,  too,  were  the  Mes- 
sengers of  God  going  up  and  down  on  it.  ^^  There  also 
was  Jehovah  standing  above  it,  and  saying, 

''  I  am  Jehovah,  God  of  your  father  Abraham,  and 
God  of  Isaac.     The  land  on  which  you  are  lying  I  will 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  173 

give  to  you  and  your  offspring.  1*  Your  offspring  shall 
be  like  the  dust  of  the  earth ;  they  shall  rapidly  increase 
to  the  west  and  east  and  north  and  south.  In  you  shall 
all  the  races  of  the  *  ground  '  be  blessed,  and  in  your  off- 
spring. 1^  I  am  with  you  indeed,  and  I  will  guard  you 
everywhere  you  go,  and  will  bring  you  back  to  this 
ground ;  for  I  will  not  abandon  you  till  I  have  done 
what  I  have  told  you." 

1^  Jacob  awoke  from  his  sleep  and  said, 

"  Surely  Jehovah  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not !  " 
1"^  and  he  was  afraid  and  said,  "  How  awful  is  this  place ! 
This  is  nothing  else  but  the  house  of  God!  this  is  the 
gate  of  heaven  !  " 

1^  He  rose  early  in  the  morning,  took  the  stone  that 
he  had  put  as  his  pillow,  and  set  it  up  as  a  monument, 
pouring  oil  upon  the  top  of  it.  ^^  He  named  that  place 
Bethel  [House-of-God],  although  the  town's  name  at 
first  was  Luz.     20  Jacob  also  made  this  vow : 

*'  If  God  will  be  with  me  and  guard  me  on  this  journey 
I  am  going,  and  will  give  me  food  to  eat  and  clothes  to 
wear,  ^i  and  I  return  safe  and  sound  to  my  father's  home, 
then  Jehovah  shall  be  God  to  me,  22  this  stone  that  I 
have  set  up  as  a  monument  shall  be  the  house  of  God, 
and  all  that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  tithe  for  thee." 


29.  ^  Then  Jacob  resumed  his  tramp,  and  came  to  the 
country  of  the  Easterners.  ^  There  in  the  open  country 
he  saw  a  well,  and  there  beside  it  were  three  droves  of 
sheep  and  goats  lying  down ;  for  at  that  well  they  used 
to  water  the  droves,  and,  the  stone  on  the  mouth  of  the 
well  being  large,  ^  all  the  droves  would  be  gathered  there, 
and  then  they  would  roll  the  stone  off  the  mouth  of  the 


174      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

well,  water  the  sheep  and  goats,  and  put  the  stone  back 
in  its  place  on  the  mouth  of  the  well. 


^  Jacob  said  to  them,  "  My  friends,  where  are  you 
from?" 

"  We  are  from  Haran,"  they  answered. 

5  "  Do  you  know  Laban,"  he  said  to  them,  "  the  son  of 
Nahor?  " 

"  Yes,"  they  said. 

^  "  Is  he  well?  "  he  inquired  of  them. 

"  Yes,"  they  answered,  "  and  there  comes  his  daughter 
Rachel  with  the  flock." 

■^  "  But  look  now,"  he  said ;  *'  much  of  the  day  is  still 
left.  It  is  not  yet  time  for  the  stock  to  be  gathered  in ! 
Water  the  sheep  and  goats,  and  let  them  go  and  graze." 

^  "  We  cannot,"  they  said,  "  till  all  the  droves  are 
gathered,  and  they  roll  the  stone  off  the  mouth  of  the 
well.     Then  we  will  water  the  sheep  and  goats." 

^  He  was  still  talking  with  them  when  Rachel  came 
with  the  flock  that  belonged  to  her  father,  for  she  was 
shepherdess.  ^^  No  sooner  had  Jacob  seen  Rachel,  the 
daughter  of  his  mother's  brother  Laban,  and  his  uncle 
Laban's  flock,  than  he  went  up,  rolled  the  stone  off  the 
mouth  of  the  well,  and  watered  his  uncle  Laban's  flock. 

11  Thereupon  he  kissed  Rachel  and  began  to  weep  aloud. 

12  Then  he  told  her  that  he  was  her  father's  kinsman, 
and  the  son  of  Rebekah.  She  ran  and  told  her  father. 
12  As  soon  as  Laban  heard  the  news  about  his  sister's 
son  Jacob,  he  ran  to  meet  him,  embraced  and  kissed  him, 
and  took  him  into  his  house ;  and  he  told  Laban  all  about 
his  circumstances. 

14  "  At  any  rate  you  are  my  own  flesh  and  blood," 
Laban  said  to  him ;  and  he  stayed  with  him  for  a  month's 
time. 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  175 

15  Then  Laban  said  to  Jacob,  "  Because  you  are  my 
kinsman,  shall  you  serve  me  for  nothing?  Tell  me  what 
your  wages  shall  be." 

1^  Laban  had  two  daughters,  the  elder  named  Leah, 
the  younger  Rachel.  1^  Leah's  eyes  were  soft;  but 
Rachel  was  beautiful  both  in  form  and  feature.  ^^  Jacob 
loved  Rachel;  so  he  said, 

"  I  will  serve  you  seven  years  for  your  younger 
daughter  Rachel." 

1^  ''  I  had  better  give  her  to  you,"  answered  Laban, 
"  than  to  any  other  man ;  stay  with  me." 


20  So  Jacob  served  for  Rachel  seven  years;  although 
they  seemed  to  him  like  a  few  days,  in  his  love  for  her. 
21  Then  he  said  to  Laban, 

"  Let  me  have  my  wife,  for  the  time  is  up ;  let  me  live 
with  her." 

22  Laban  brought  together  all  the  men  of  the  place  and 
entertained  them.  23  g^^  j^  the  evening  he  got  his 
daughter  Leah  and  took  her  home  to  Jacob's;  and  he 
was  with  her.  24  ^^o^^  to  his  daughter  Leah,  Laban  gave 
his  maidservant  Zilpah  as  her  maid. 

25  So  in  the  morning,  there  was  Leah. 

''What  is  this  you  have  done  to  me?"  he  said  to 
Laban.  "  Did  I  not  do  you  service  for  Rachel  ?  Why 
have  you  cheated  me  ?  " 

26  *'  It  is  not  the  custom  in  our  locality,"  Laban  an- 
swered, "  to  marry  the  younger  before  the  elder.  27  Qq 
through  with  this  one's  '  wedding-week,'  and  the  other 
one  also  shall  be  given  you  for  the  service  you  shall  do 
me  for  seven  more  years." 

28  Jacob  did  so.  and  went  through  with  that  one's 
'  wedding-week  ' ;  then  he  gave  him  his  daughter  Rachel 
in  marriage.  29  As  maid  to  his  daughter  Rachel  Laban 
gave  his  maidservant  Bilhah.  ^^  Jacob  lived  with  Rachel 


176      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

more  and  loved  her  more  than  he  did  Leah ;  and  he  did 
him  service  for  seven  more  vears. 


21  When  Jehovah  saw  that  Leah  was  hated,  he  caused 
her  to  become  a  mother,  while  Rachel  was  barren.  ^^ 
So  Leah  conceived,  and  bore  a  son,  whom  she  named 
Reuben  [See-a-Son]  ;  for  she  said, 

"  Now  that  Jehovah  has  looked  on  my  trouble,  surely 
my  husband  will  love  me." 

2^  Again  she  conceived  and  bore  a  son,  and  said, 

"  Because  Jehovah  has  heard  that  I  am  hated,  he  has 
given  me  this  one  too," 
and   she  named  him   Simeon    [Hearing]. 

^^  Again  she  conceived  and  bore  a  son,  and  said, 

''  This  time,  now,  my  husband  will  join  himself  to  me, 
for  I  have  borne  him  three  sons  " ; 
and  from  that  he  was  named  Levi   [Joining]. 

^^  Again  she  conceived  and  bore  a  son  and  said, 

"  This  time  I  praise  Jehovah  "  ; 
and  from  that  she  named  him  Judah  [Praise].     Then  she 
stopped  having  children. 

30.     1  When  Rachel  saw  that  she  bore  Jacob  no  chil- 
dren, she  was  jealous  of  her  sister,  and  said  to  Jacob, 
"  Let  me  have  children,  or  else  I  shall  die." 
2  Jacob  was  irritated  with  Rachel,  and  he  said, 
"  Am  I  in  the  place  of  God,  who  is  withholding  babes 
from  you  ?  " 

^  Then  she  said,  "  There  is  my  slave  woman  Bilhah. 
Live  with  her,  and  let  her  bear  children  to  sit  on  my 
knees,  and  let  me  too  have  some  children  by  her." 

*  So  she  married  her  maid  Bilhah  to  him,  and  Jacob 
lived  with  her.  ^  Bilhah  conceived  and  bore  Jacob  a 
son.     ^  Then  Rachel  said, 


SECTION   9    (25,19-35.29)  177 

"  God  has  judged  my  case,  has  granted  my  prayers, 
and  has  given  me  a  son,"  and  from  that  she  named  him 
Dan   [Judge]. 

'^  Again  Rachel's  maid  Bilhah  conceived  and  bore 
Jacob  a  son.     ^  Then  Rachel  said, 

*'  Incomparable  have  been  my  wrestlings  with  my  sis- 
ter, and  now  I  have  conquered !  "  and  she  named  him 
NaphtaH   [WrestHng]. 


^  When  Leah  saw  that  she  had  stopped  having  chil- 
dren, she  took  her  maid  Zilpah  and  married  her  to  Jacob. 
1^  Leah's  maid  Zilpah  bore  Jacob  a  son.  ^^  Then  Leah 
said, 

"  Fortunate !  " 
and  named  him  Gad  [Fortune].     ^^  Leah's  maid  Zilpah 
bore  Jacob  another  son.     ^^  Then  Leah  said, 

"  Happiness  is  mine,  for  women  of  the  future  will  call 
me  happy !  " 
and  named  him  Asher  [Happy]. 

^*  In  the  time  of  wheat  harvest  Reuben  went  and 
found  some  mandrakes  in  the  open  country  and  brought 
them  to  his  mother  Leah.     Rachel  said  to  Leah, 

**  Give  me  some  of  your  son's  mandrakes,  will  you 
not?" 

1^  ''Is  your  taking  my  husband  a  little  thing?"  she 
replied  to  her ;  ''  and  will  you  also  take  my  son's  man- 
drakes?" 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Rachel,  "  he  shall  be  with  you  to- 
night in  payment  for  your  son's  mandrakes." 

^^  So  when  Jacob  came  in  from  the  field  in  the  evening, 
Leah  went  out  to  meet  him,  and  said, 

*'  You  shall  be  with  me,  for  I  have  hired  you  with 
my  son's  mandrakes." 

And  that  night  he  was  with  Leah.     ^'^  God  granted 


178      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

Leah's  prayers,  and  she  conceived  and  bore  Jacob  a  fifth 
son.     ^^  Then  Leah  said, 

'*  God  has  paid  my  hire,  because  I  gave  my  maid  to 
my  husband," 
and  she  named  him  Issachar  [Hire]. 

19  Leah  conceived  again,  and  bore  Jacob  a  sixth  son. 
20  Then  Leah  said, 

"  God  has  dowered  me  with  a  good  dowry ;  this  time 
my  husband  will  dwell  with  me,  for  I  have  borne  him 
six  sons," 
and  she  named  him  Zebulun   [Dwelling]. 

21  After  that  she  bore  a  daughter,  and  named  her 
Dinah. 

22  God  remembered  Rachel  also,  and  granted  her 
prayers  and  caused  her  to  become  a  mother.  23  Sq  ^Yiq 
conceived  and  bore  a  son,  and  said, 

"  God  has  removed  my  disgrace  "  ; 
24  and  she  named  him  Joseph  [He-Addeth],  and  said, 
"  Jehovah  will  add  for  me  another  son." 


25  At  the  time  when  Rachel  bore  Joseph,  Jacob  said  to 
Laban, 

"  Dismiss  me,  and  let  me  go  to  my  own  place  and 
country.  26  l^^  ^q  have  my  wives  and  children  that  I 
have  served  you  for.  and  let  me  go ;  for  you  know  what 
service  I  have  done  you." 

27  But  Laban  answered  him, 

"  If  now  I  have  your  favor, — I  divine  that  Jehovah 
has  blessed  me  on  your  account.  28  pjx  your  own 
wages,"  he  went  on,  "  and  I  will  pay  them." 

29  "  You  know,"  he  replied  to  him,  "  how  I  have  served 
you,  and  how  your  stock  has  done  with  me.  ^^  Little 
did  you  have  before  I  came,  and  it  has  rapidly  increased 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  179 

into  a  multitude ;  Jehovah  has  blessed  you  for  my  sake. 
But  now  when  shall  I  too  provide  for  my  own  family?" 

^^  "  What  shall  I  give  you?  "  he  said. 

'*  You  shall  not  give  me  anything  at  all,"  Jacob  an- 
swered. "  If  you  will  do  this  for  me,  I  will  graze  your 
flock  again  and  keep  it: 

^2  "  I  will  go  through  your  whole  flock  to-day,  re- 
moving from  it  every  one  that  is  speckled  or  dappled, 
including  every  black  one  among  the  sheep  and  any 
dappled  or  speckled  ones  among  the  goats ;  and  these 
shall  be  my  hire.  ^^  My  uprightness  in  me  will  assert 
itself  to  your  face,  in  the  future  when  you  come  to  see 
about  my  hire ;  for  everything  that  is  not  speckled  or 
dappled  among  the  goats,  or  black  among  the  sheep,  is 
stolen  if  it  is  found  with  me." 

^*  "  Well,"  said  Laban,  ''  let  it  be  as  you  say." 

2^  But  that  very  day  he  [Laban]  picked  out  the  he- 
goats  that  were  striped  or  speckled,  all  the  goats  that 
were  speckled  or  dappled,  all  that  had  any  white  on  them, 
and  all  the  black  ones  among  the  sheep ;  and  gave  them 
to  the  care  of  his  sons.  ^^  Then  he  put  three  days'  jour- 
ney between  himself  and  Jacob ;  so  Jacob  grazed  the 
rest  of  the  flock. 

2^  But  Jacob  got  some  rods  of  fresh  poplar,  almond, 
and  plane-tree,  and  made  white  streaks  in  them,  exposing 
the  white  on  the  rods.  ^^  The  rods  that  he  had  peeled 
he  put  in  the  gutters  of  the  watering-troughs,  where  the 
flock  came  to  drink,  opposite  the  flock ;  for  they  used 
to  conceive  when  they  came  to  drink.  ^^  So  when  the 
flock  conceived  in  front  of  the  rods,  they  bore  young  that 
were  striped,  speckled,  or  dappled. 

^^  Further,  Jacob  separated  the  breeders,  and  put  them 
before  the  flock,  toward  the  striped  and  any  black  ones 
in  Laban's  flock ;  whereas  his  own  droves  he  put  by 
themselves  and  did  not  put  them  by  Laban's  flock. 


i8o      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

^1  Furthermore,  whenever  the  strong  ones  of  the  flock 
were  conceiving,  then  Jacob  would  put  the  rods  before 
the  eyes  of  the  flock  in  the  gutters,  so  that  they  might 
conceive  among  the  rods ;  ^^  but  when  the  flock  was  ex- 
hausted, he  would  not  set  them  up.  So  the  enfeebled 
became  Laban's,  and  the  strong  Jacob's. 

^3  Thus  the  man  thrived  wonderfully,  and  came  to  have 
a  great  many  sheep  and  goats,  female  and  male  slaves, 
camels,  and  donkeys. 


31.     1  At  that  time  he  heard  Laban's  sons  saying, 
"Jacob   has   taken   all   that  belonged   to   our    father. 
All  this  wealth  he  has  made  out  of  what  belonged  to  our 
father  " ; 

2  and  Jacob  saw  that  indeed  Laban  was  not  so  well-dis- 
posed toward  him  as  formerly.  ^  Then  it  was  that 
Jehovah  said  to  Jacob, 

"  Return  to  the  country  of  your  fathers  and  to  your 
birthplace,  and  let  me  be  with  you." 

^  Then  he  sent  and  summoned  Rachel  and  Leah  to  his 
flock  in  the  field,  ^  and  said  to  them, 

"  I  have  been  noticing  that  your  father  is  not  so  well- 
disposed  toward  me  as  formerly,  although  my  father's 
God  has  been  with  me,  ^  and  although  I  have  served 
him,  as  you  know,  with  all  my  might.  '^  But  your 
father  has  been  playing  with  me.  He  has  changed  my 
wages  ten  times.  Yet  God  has  never  permitted  him  to 
do  me  any  harm.     ^  For  whenever  he  said, 

'  Your  wages  shall  be  the  speckled  ones,' 
then  all  the  flock  would  bear  speckled  ones ;  and  when- 
ever he  said, 

'  Your  wages  shall  be  the  striped  ones,' 
then  all  the  flock  would  bear  striped  ones.     ^  Thus  God 
has  taken  away  your  father's  stock  and  given  it  to  me. 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  181 

^^  Indeed,  at  the  time  when  the  flock  were  conceiving, 
I  looked  up,  in  a  dream,  and  there  I  saw  the  he-goats 
that  were  gendering  all  striped,  speckled,  or  piebald.  ^^ 
God's  Messenger,  too,  said  to  me  in  the  dream, 

'  Jacob.' 

'  Here  I  am,'  I  answered. 

12  *  Look  up  now,'  he  said,  '  and  notice  that  all  the 
he-goats  that  are  gendering  are  striped,  speckled,  or  pie- 
bald; for  I  have  seen  all  that  Laban  has  done  to  you. 
1^  I  am  the  God  at  Bethel,  where  you  dedicated  the  monu- 
ment, and  where  you  made  a  vow  to  me.  Now,  up  and 
leave  this  country,  and  go  back  to  your  native  land.'  " 

^^  Rachel,  together  with  Leah,  made  their  answer  as 
follows : 

'*  Have  we  any  longer  a  share  or  a  portion  in  our 
father's  home?  ^^  Are  we  not  regarded  by  him  as 
strangers?  for  he  sold  us,  and  the  price  for  us,  too,  he 
has  taken  and  spent.  ^^  Indeed,  all  the  riches  that  God 
has  taken  away  from  our  father  belong  to  us  and  our 
children.     So  do  now  whatever  God  has  told  you." 

1"^  So  Jacob  set  to  work,  helping  up  his  children  and 
wives  upon  the  camels,  ^^  and  taking  off  all  his  stock  and 
all  property  he  had  acquired, — his  gains  that  he  had  ac- 
quired in  Paddan-Aram, — in  order  to  go  to  his  father 
Isaac  in  Canaan.  ^^  Laban  had  gone  to  shear  his  flock. 
Meanwhile  Rachel  stole  the  teraphim  that  belonged  to 
her  father;  20  and  Jacob  gave  Laban  the  Aramean  the 
slip,  not  telling  him  that  he  was  going  to  flee.  21  He  fled 
with  all  that  he  had ;  he  set  out,  crossed  the  river^  and 
started  in  the  direction  of  Mount  Gilead. 

22  On  the  third  day  the  news  came  to  Laban  the 
Aramean  that  Jacob  had  fled.  ^3  Taking  his  kinsman 
with  him,  he  pursued  him,  a  seven  days'  journey,  until  he 


i82      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

came  up  with  him  at  Mount  Gilead.  24  g^^^  ^i-j^t  night 
God  visited  Laban  the  Aramean  in  a  dream,  and  said  to 
him, 

"  Take  care  to  say  nothing  but  good  to  Jacob." 

2^  When  Laban  came  up  with  Jacob,  Jacob  had  put  up 
his  tents  on  the  mountain.  Laban  put  his  up  also,  with 
his  kinsman,  on  Mount  Gilead.    -^  Then  he  said  to  Jacob, 

''  What  have  you  done,  thus  to  give  me  the  slip,  and 
carry  off  my  daughters  like  prisoners  of  war?  ^7  Why 
did  you  conceal  your  flight  and  so  give  me  the  slip,  and 
not  tell  me  and  let  me  dismiss  you  with  merriment  and 
songs,  with  drum  and  harp?  ^8  You  did  not  allow  me 
even  to  kiss  my  children  and  my  daughters.  Now  you 
have  played  the  fool.  ^^  It  is  in  my  power  to  harm  you ; 
but  your  father's  God  told  me  this,  last  night : 

'  Take  care  to  say  nothing  but  good  to  Jacob.' 
2^  But  now  that  you  have  bolted  because  you  were  pining 
away   for  your   father's   home,   why   did   you   steal   my 
gods?" 

^^  *'  Because  I  was  afraid,"  was  Jacob's  answer  to 
Laban ;  "  for  I  thought.  What  if  he  takes  his  daughters 
away  from  me  by  force  ?  ^^  Whoever  you  find  your  gods 
with  shall  not  live.  Before  our  kinsmen,  pick  out  what 
of  yours  is  with  me.  and  take  it." 

But  Jacob  did  not  know  that  Rachel  had  stolen  them. 

^^  So  Laban  went  into  Jacob's  tent,  into  Leah's  tent, 
and  into  the  tent  of  the  two  slave-women,  but  failed  to 
find  them.  From  Leah's  tent  he  went  into  Rachel's  tent. 
24  Rachel  had  taken  the  teraphim  and  put  them  in  the 
camel's  howdah,  and  was  sitting  on  them.  Laban  felt 
all  about  the  tent  and  failed  to  find  them;  ^5  ^nd  she 
said  to  her  father, 

"  Do  not  be  provoked.  Sir,  that  I  cannot  rise  in  your 
presence,  because  I  have  my  woman's  trouble  upon  me." 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  183 

So  he  failed  to  find  the  teraphim  in  his  search. 

^^  Then  Jacob  was  provoked  and  began  to  quarrel  with 
Laban.     This  was  the  protest  that  he  made  to  Laban : 

"  What  is  my  wrong  to  you.  or  even  my  failure  of 
duty,  that  you  should  so  hotly  have  pursued  me?  ^"^ 
Now  that  you  have  felt  my  goods  all  over,  what  goods 
of  your  household  have  you  found  ?  Set  them  out  before 
your  kinsmen  and  mine,  and  let  them  decide  between  us. 
2^  These  twenty  years  that  I  have  been  with  you,  your 
ewes  and  your  she-goats  have  never  miscarried,  and  I 
have  never  eaten  the  rams  of  your  flock.  ^^  Those  that 
were  torn  by  wild  beasts  I  never  charged  to  you,  but 
bore  the  loss  myself.  Whether  stolen  by  day  or  by 
night,  you  used  to  exact  them  from  me.  ^^  I  have  had 
the  drought  eating  me  up  by  day  and  the  frost  by  night, 
while  sleep  fled  from  my  eyes.  ^'^  I  served  my  twenty 
years  in  your  household, — fourteen  years  for  your  two 
daughters,  and  six  years  for  your  sheep  and  goats,  and 
ten  times  you  changed  my  wages.  ^^  j^ad  not  my 
father's  God,  the  God  of  Abraham  and  the  Dread  of 
Isaac,  been  with  me,  you  would  certainly  now  have  dis- 
missed me  with  empty  hands.  God  has  seen  my  trouble 
and  my  toil,  and  he  rebuked  you  last  night." 

^2  Laban's  reply  to  Jacob  was : 

"  These  daughters  are  my  daughters,  these  children  my 
children,  and  this  flock  my  flock ;  and  all  that  you  see  is 
mine.  Yet  what  can  I  do  to-day  for  my  daughters,  for 
them  or  for  their  children  that  they  have  borne?  ^^  Now 
come,  let  us  make  a  compact,  you  and  me,  and  let  us  have 
a  witness  between  us." 

^^  So  Jacob  got  a  stone  and  erected  it  as  a  monument ; 
^^  and  he  said  to  his  kinsmen, 
"  Gather  some  stones," 


i84      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

whereupon  they  got  stones  and  made  a  cairn.  There  be- 
side the  cairn  they  ate.  ^'^  Laban  called  it  Jegar- 
Sahadutha  [Witness-Cairn,  in  Aramaic],  but  Jacob  called 
it  Galead   [Witness-Cairn,  in  Hebrew]. 

^^  "  This  cairn,"  Laban  said,  "  is  a  witness  between 
you  and  me  to-day." 

From  that  came  its  name  Galead,  ^^  and  also  Mispah 
[Watchpost],  because  he  said, 

"  May  Jehovah  watch  between  you  and  me  when  we 
are  hidden  from  each  other.  ^^  If  you  ill-treat  my 
daughters,  or  marry  additional  wives  to  my  daughters, 
no  man  will  be  with  us,  but  God,  look  you,  will  be  wit- 
ness between  you  and  me." 

51  "  Here  is  this  cairn,"  Laban  went  on  to  Jacob,  "  and 
here  is  this  monument  that  I  have  erected  between  you 
and  me.  ^^  t;\i'is  cairn  is  a  witness,  and  this  monument 
is  a  witness  that  I  will  not  pass  this  cairn  to  you,  nor  will 
you  pass  this  cairn  to  me,  or  this  monument,  for  harm. 
5^  May  Abraham's  God  and  Nahor's  God, — the  God  of 
their  father, — judge  between  us." 

Jacob  swore  also,  by  the  Dread  of  his  father  Isaac. 

5^  Jacob  made  a  sacrifice  on  the  mountain,  and  invited 
his  kinsmen  to  eat.  So  they  ate  and  put  up  for  the  night 
on  the  mountain.  ^^  Laban  rose  early  in  the  morning, 
kissed  his  children  and  his  daughters,  and  blessed  them; 
and  then  departed,  returning  to  his  country. 

32.  1  Jacob  went  on  his  way,  and  the  Messengers  of 
God  met  him.     ^  As  soon  as  he  saw  them,  Jacob  said, 

"  This  is  God's  camp  "  ; 
and   from  that  he   named   the  place   Mahanaim    [Two- 
Camps]. 


3  Jacob   sent  messengers  before  him  to  his  brother 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  185 

Esau  in   Seir,  the  territory  of  Edom.     ^  These  he  in- 
structed as  follows : 

"  Say  this  to  His  Excellency,  Esau : 

*  This  is  what  your  servant  Jacob  says : 
I  have  been  away  from  home  and  with  Laban,  and  have 
stayed  until  now.  ^  I  have  come  to  possess  oxen,  don- 
keys, sheep  and  goats,  and  male  and  female  slaves ;  and 
I  have  sent  to  tell  Your  Excellency,  so  that  I  may  enjoy 
your  favor.'  " 

^  The  messengers  returned  to  Jacob  and  said, 

"  We  went  to  Esau,  your  brother ;  and  furthermore, 
he  is  on  his  way  to  meet  you,  and  four  hundred  men 
with  him." 

■^  Jacob  was  very  much  frightened,  and  in  great  dis- 
tress. He  divided  the  persons  who  were  with  him,  and 
the  sheep,  goats,  cattle,  and  camels,  into  two  camps. 

^  "  If  Esau  comes  to  one  camp,"  he  said,  "  and  attacks 
it,  the  remaining  camp  will  have  a  chance  to  escape." 

^  Jacob  said  also,  '*  O  God  of  my  father  Abraham  and 
God  of  my  father  Isaac,  thou  Jehovah  who  didst  say  to 
me, 

'  Return  to  your  country  and  to  your  birthplace, 

and  let  me  do  you  good,' 
1^  I  am  too  little  for  all  the  kindnesses  and  the  truth  that 
thou  hast  shown  to  thy  servant.  For  with  my  staff  I 
passed  over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  have  become  two 
camps.  1^  Now  rescue  me,  I  beg  thee,  from  the  power 
of  Esau,  my  brother;  for  I  am  afraid  of  him,  for  fear 
he  will  come  and  strike  down  mother  and  children.  ^^ 
And  thou  didst  say, 

'  I  will  do  you  good,  much  good,  and  will  make 

your  offspring  like  the  sand  of  the  sea  that  cannot 

be  counted.'  " 


i86      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

12  He  spent  the  night  there  that  night,  and  got  out  of 
what  came  to  hand  a  present  for  Esau  his  brother:  ^^ 
two  hundred  she-goats,  twenty  he-goats,  two  hundred 
ewes,  twenty  rams,  ^^  thirty  milch  camels  with  their  colts, 
forty  heifers,  ten  bulls,  twenty  she-donkeys,  and  ten 
donkeys.  ^^  These  he  handed  over  to  his  servants,  each 
drove  by  itself,  and  told  his  servants, 

"  Cross  over  ahead  of  me,  and  leave  an  interval  be- 
tween each  two  droves." 

1"^  To  the  first  he  gave  this  command :  "  When  my 
brother  Esau  meets  you  and  asks  you, 

'  Whose  are  you?  and  where  are  you  going?  and 
to  whom  do  these  animals  before  you  belong  ?  ' 
1^  you   are   to   say,    *  Your   servant   Jacob   sends   this 
present  to  His  Excellency  Esau,  and  here  is  he 
himself   also  behind  us.'  " 
19  He  gave  the  same  command  to  the  second,  the  third, 
and  the  following  droves,  telling  them,  "  So  you  are  to 
speak  to  Esau,  when  you  find  him ;  ^o  and  you  are  to  add, 
'  Here  is  your  servant  Jacob  behind  us.'  " 
For  he  thought,  "  I  will  placate  him  by  the  present  that 
goes  before  me,  and  after  that  I  will  see  him  in  person. 
Perhaps  he  will  pardon  me." 

21  So  the  present  crossed  over  ahead  of  him,  while  he 
put  up  for  the  night  that  night  in  the  camp. 

22  In  the  night  he  got  up,  took  his  two  wives,  his  two 
maids,  and  his  eleven  children  and  crossed  the  ford  of 
Jabbok.  23  y[q  ^qq|^  them  and  had  them  cross  over  the 
wady,  and  had  all  that  belonged  to  him  to  cross  over 
also.  24  g^j^  i-ie  himself  was  left  behind  alone.  Then 
a  man  wrestled  with  him  till  the  break  of  day.  25  When 
he  saw  that  he  was  not  overcoming  him,  he  touched  the 
joint  of  Jacob's  thigh,  and  the  joint  of  Jacob's  thigh  was 
strained  as  he  wrestled  with  him. 

26  "  Let  me  go,"  he  said,  "  for  the  day  is  breaking." 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  187 

"  I  will  not  let  you  go,"  answered  he,  "  until  you  have 
blessed  me." 

2^  "  What  is  your  name  ?  "  he  asked  him. 

**  Jacob,"  he  answered. 

2^  '*  No  longer  Jacob,"  he  replied,  "  shall  be  your  name, 
but  Israel  [He-Battles-with-God]  ;  for  you  have  battled 
with  God  and  with  men,  and  have  overcome." 

29  Then  Jacob  made  this  request : 

"  Tell  me  your  name,  I  beg  you." 

"Why  do  you  ask  for  my  name?"  he  replied. 

Thus  he  blessed  him  there.  ^^  Jacob  named  the  place 
Peniel  [Face-of-God]  ;  "  for  I  have  seen  God  face  to 
face,  and  my  life  is  rescued." 

^^  The  sun  rose  over  him  just  as  he  crossed  at  Penuel, 
limping  on  his  thigh. 

22  For  this  reason  the  Israelite  Kin,  down  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  never  eat  the  muscle  of  the  hip  that  is  over 
the  thigh- joint,  because  He  touched  the  joint  of  Jacob's 
thigh  upon  the  muscle  of  the  hip. 

33.  1  When  Jacob  looked  up,  there  he  saw  Esau  com- 
ing, and  four  hundred  men  with  him.  He  divided  the 
children  among  Leah,  Rachel,  and  the  two  maids.  ^  ^\]q 
maids  and  their  children  he  put  first,  next  Leah  and  her 
children,  and  next  Rachel  and  Joseph ;  ^  and  passing 
them  went  himself  in  front.  Then  he  bowed  very  low 
seven  times,  till  he  came  up  to  his  brother.  •*  But  Esau 
ran  to  meet  him  and  embraced  him,  throwing  his  arms 
about  his  neck,  and  kissing  him ;  and  they  wept. 

^  When  he  looked  up  and  saw  the  women  and  children, 
he  said, 

"Who  are  these  that  you  have?" 

"  The  children  that  God  has  graciously  given  your 
servant,"  he  answered. 

6  Then  the  maids  came  up,  together  with  their  children, 


i88      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

and  bowed.  "^  Leah,  too,  came  up.  and  her  children,  and 
bowed.  After  them  came  up  Joseph  and  Rachel,  and 
they  bowed. 

^  ''What  is  all  this  camp  of  yours  for  that  I  met?" 
he  said. 

"  To  obtain  Your  Excellency's  favor,"  he  answered. 

9  "  I  have  an  abundance,"  Esau  replied ;  ''  keep  what 
is  yours  yourself,  my  brother." 

10  "  No,  I  beg  you,"  said  Jacob ;  *'  if  indeed  I  have  ob- 
tained your  favor,  you  will  accept  my  present;  for  I 
have  been  admitted  to  your  presence,  as  one  is  admitted 
to  the  presence  of  God,  and  you  have  received  me 
graciously.  ^^  Accept  my  blessing,  I  beg  you,  which 
has  been  brought  you ;  for  God  has  been  kind  to  me,  and 
I  have  enough  and  to  spare." 

He  insisted,  and  so  he  accepted  it. 

12  Then  he  said,  "  Let  us  travel  on,  and  let  me  go  in 
front  of  you." 

12  "  You  know.  Your  Excellency,"  he  repUed  to  him, 
"  that  the  children  are  tender,  and  the  sheep.,  the  goats, 
and  the  cattle  with  me  are  bearing  their  young,  so  that 
if  they  should  overdrive  them  a  single  day  the  sheep  and 
goats  would  all  die.  i^  You,  Your  Excellency,  go  on 
ahead  of  your  servant,  while  I  lead  them  along  easily, 
as  suits  the  pace  of  the  stock  that  is  before  me  and  the 
pace  of  the  children,  until  I  come  up  to  you,  Your  Excel- 
lency, in  Seir." 

1^  "  But  let  me,  will  you  not,"  said  Esau,  "  station  with 
you  some  of  the  people  that  are  with  me  ? " 

"  Why?  "  he  replied.  '*  Let  me  have  your  favor,  Your 
Excellency." 

16  So  Esau  went  back  that  day  on  his  way  to  Seir. 

1"^  But  Jacob  traveled  to  Succoth,  and  there  built  a 
house   for  himself,  and  made  sheds  of  boughs   for  his 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  189 

stock.     From  that  the  place  was  named  Succoth  [Sheds- 
of-Boughs]. 

^^  Thus  Jacob  came  safe  and  sound  to  the  town  of 
Shechem  which  is  in  Canaan,  when  he  came  from 
Paddan-Aram.  He  encamped  before  the  town.  ^^  The 
part  of  the  open  country  where  he  put  up  his  tents  he 
bought  from  the  Kin  of  Hamor,  the  father  of  Shechem, 
for  a  hundred  "  kesitahs."  ^^  There  he  erected  an  altar, 
and  called  it  El-Elohe-Israel  [The-God-of-Israel-is-God]. 


34.  1  Dinah,  Leah's  daughter  whom  she  bore  to 
Jacob,  had  gone  out  to  visit  among  the  young  women  of 
the  country,  ^  when  Shechem  the  son  of  Hamor  the  Hiv- 
vite,  the  sheikh  of  the  country,  saw  her.  He  took  her, 
was  with  her,  and  dishonored  her.  ^  He  lost  his  heart  to 
Dinah,  Jacob's  daughter ;  he  loved  the  girl,  and  made 
love  to  her.  ^  Then  he  spoke  to  his  father  Hamor,  and 
said, 

"  Get  me  this  young  girl  for  a  wife." 

^  When  Jacob  heard  that  he  had  ruined  his  daughter 
Dinah,  his  sons  being  in  the  open  country  with  the  stock, 
he  kept  silent  till  they  came  in.  ^  Meanwhile  Shechem's 
father  Hamor  had  come  out  to  see  Jacob  and  talk  with 
him.  "^  But  as  soon  as  they  heard  of  it  Jacob's  sons 
came  in  from  the  open  country.  The  men  were  dis- 
tressed and  extremely  angry,  because  he  had  done  such 
wicked  folly  in  Israel  as  to  defile  Jacob's  daughter, — a 
thing  never  to  be  done. 

^  But  Hamor  talked  with  them,  and  said, 
"  My  son  Shechem  has  lost  his  heart  to  your  daughter  ; 
I  beg  that  you  will  give  her  to  him  for  wife.     ^  Will 


190      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

you  not  intermarry  with  us,  giving  us  your  daughters, 
and  taking  ours  for  yourselves?  ^^  Live  with  us, — the 
country  is  before  you, — hve  and  trade  in  it,  and  become 
land-holders  in  it." 

^1  Shechem,  too,  said  to  her  father  and  her  brothers, 

"  Only  let  me  have  your  favor,  and  whatever  you  tell 
me  I  will  do.  ^^  Name  no  matter  how  large  a  price  and 
bridal  present  and  I  will  give  whatever  you  say;  only 
give  me  the  girl  for  wife." 

1^  But  the  sons  of  Jacob  answered  Shechem  and  his 
father  Hamor  deceitfully,  because  he  had  ruined  their 
sister  Dinah.     They  spoke  to  them  as  follows : 

^^  "  This  is  a  thing  that  we  are  unable  to  do, — to  give 
our  sister  to  a  man  who  is  uncircumcised ;  for  that  would 
be  to  us  a  disgrace.  ^^  Only  on  this  condition  will  we 
give  you  our  consent :  namely,  if  you  will  become  like 
us,  and  have  every  male  circumcised.  ^^  In  that  event  we 
will  give  you  our  daughters  and  take  yours  ourselves, 
and  live  with  you ;  and  we  shall  become  one  people.  ^'^ 
But  unless  you  agree  to  be  circumcised,  we  will  take  our 
daughter  and  go." 

^^  Their  proposal  pleased  Hamor  and  Hamor's  son 
Shechem.  ^^  So  the  young  man  did  not  delay  to  do  the 
thing,  for  he  was  in  love  with  Jacob's  daughter,  and  he 
was  himself  the  most  honorable  of  his  father's  family,  ^o 
So  Hamor  came,  with  his  son  Shechem,  to  the  gateway 
of  their  town,  and  spoke  to  the  men  of  their  town  as 
follows : 

2^  '*  Since  these  men  are  at  peace  with  us,  let  them 
live  in  the  country  and  trade  in  it ;  for,  see,  the  country 
is  broad  in  all  directions  before  them.  Let  us  marry 
their  daughters  and  give  them  our  daughters.  ^2  ^^iq 
men  will  give  us  their  consent  to  live  with  us  only  on  this 
condition :  namely,  that  we  shall  have  every  male  cir- 
cumcised as  they  are  circumcised.     ^3  Y\f{\\  not  their  live 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  191 

stock  and  property,  and  all  their  beasts,  be  ours,  if  only 
we  consent  to  them  and  let  them  live  with  us?  " 

24  All  the  citizens  of  his  town  agreed  with  Hamor  and 
his  son  Shechem,  and  all  the  males  were  circumcised, — 
all  the  citizens  of  his  town. 

2^  Then  on  the  third  day,  when  they  were  sore,  two 
of  the  sons  of  Jacob,  Simeon  and  Levi,  Dinah's  brothers, 
took  each  his  sword,  entered  the  confiding  town,  and 
killed  every  male.  ^6  Hamor  and  his  son  Shechem  they 
put  to  the  sword ;  and  they  took  Dinah  out  of  Shechem's 
house,  and  departed.  ^^  The  sons  of  Jacob  came  in  over 
the  dead  and  sacked  the  town,  because  they  had  ruined 
their  sister,  ^s  fhey  took  their  sheep,  goats,  cattle,  and 
donkeys, — both  what  was  in  the  town  and  what  was  in 
the  open  country ;  ^9  and  they  seized  all  their  wealth,  and 
all  their  children  and  their  wives,  and  even  all  that  was 
in  the  houses,  taking  it  for  plunder. 

20  But  Jacob  said  to  Simeon  and  Levi, 

"  You  have  ruined  me.  You  have  made  me  infamous 
with  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  the  Canaanites  and  Periz- 
zites.  Since  my  numbers  are  few,  they  will  gather 
against  me  and  attack  me,  and  I  shall  be  destroyed,  I 
and  my  family." 

^^  "  Should  he  treat  our  sister  like  a  prostitute?  "  they 
answered. 


35.     1  Then  God  said  to  Jacob, 

"  Set  out  and  go  up  to  Bethel,  and  settle  there ;  and 
make  there  an  altar  to  the  God  who  appeared  to  you 
when  you  were  running  away  from  Esau." 

2  Then  Jacob  said  to  his  family  and  to  all  who  were 
with  him, 

''  Discard  the  foreign  gods  that  are  among  you_,  and 


192      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

purify  yourselves  and  change  your  clothing;  ^  and  let  us 
set  out  and  go  up  to  Bethel.  There  let  me  make  an  altar 
to  the  God  who  answered  me  in  the  time  of  my  distress, 
and  who  was  with  me  on  the  journey  that  I  took." 

*  So  they  gave  Jacob  all  the  foreign  gods  that  were  in 
their  possession  and  the  rings  in  their  ears ;  and  Jacob 
hid  them  under  the  terebinth-tree  that  was  beside 
Shechem. 

^  While  they  traveled,  a  panic  possessed  the  towns  that 
were  around  them,  and  they  did  not  pursue  the  sons  of 
Jacob.  ^  So  Jacob  reached  Luz  (which  is  in  Canaan;  it 
is  the  same  as  Bethel),  together  with  all  the  people  that 
were  with  him.  '^  There  Jacob  built  an  altar,  and  called 
the  place  El-Bethel,  or  God-of-Bethel,  because  there  God 
was  revealed  to  him  when  he  was  running  away  from  his 
brother. 

^  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  died  and  was  buried  below 
Bethel,  beneath  the  oak,  which  was  thereupon  called  Al- 
lon-Bacuth  [Oak-of- Weeping]. 

^  God  appeared  to  Jacob  again  on  his  coming  from 
Paddan-Aram,  and  blessed  him. 

^^  "  Although  your  name  is  Jacob,"  God  said  to  him, 
"  you  shall  no  longer  be  named  Jacob,  but  your  name 
shall  be  Israel  "  ; 
so  he  named  him  Israel.     ^^  God  also  said  to  him, 

"  I  am  El  Shaddai.  Be  fruitful  and  multiply.  There 
shall  be  a  nation  and  a  confederation  of  nations  coming 
from  you,  and  kings  shall  come  out  of  your  body.  ^^  xhe 
land  that  I  gave  to  Abraham  and  to  Isaac  I  will  give  to 
you ;  and  to  your  offspring  after  you  I  will  give  the  land." 

^3  When  God  had  ascended  from  him  in  the  place 
where  he  had  talked  with  him,  i"*  Jacob  erected  a  monu- 
ment in  the  place  where  he  had  talked  with  him,  a  monu- 


SECTION   9    (25.19-35.29)  193 

ment  of  stone,   and  poured  a  drink-offering  on  it.     ^^ 
Jacob  named  the  place  where  God  talked  with  him  Bethel. 

1^  As  they  were  traveling  from  Bethel,  and  there  was 
still  some  distance  before  they  came  to  Ephrath,  Rachel 
had  a  child.  She  had  a  painful  delivery.  ^"^  During 
the  pain  of  the  delivery,  the  midwife  said  to  her, 
*'  Do  not  be  afraid ;  this^  too,  is  a  son  for  you." 
^^  And  as  her  life  was  ebbing  away, — for  she  died, — 
she  named  him  Ben-Oni  [Son-of-My-Sorrow].  But  his 
father  called  him  Benjamin  [Son-of-the-Right-Hand]. 
19  Rachel  died  and  was  buried  on  the  road  to  Ephrath, 
that  is,  Bethlehem ;  ^o  and  Jacob  erected  a  monument 
over  her  grave.  It  is  the  Monument  of  Rachel's  Grave 
of  the  present  day. 

21  Israel  traveled  on  and  put  up  his  tents  beyond  the 
Tower  of  Eder.  22  j^  ^^s  while  Israel  was  making  his 
home  in  that  country  that  Reuben  went  and  defiled  his 
father's  concubine  Bilhah,  and  Israel  heard  of  it. 

The  sons  of  Jacob  were  twelve: 

23  The    sons    of    Leah:    Reuben,    Jacob's    eldest, 
Simeon,   Levi,   Judah,   Issachar,  and  Zebulun. 

24  The  sons  of  Rachel :  Joseph  and  Benjamin. 

25  The  sons  of  Bilhah,  Rachel's  maid :  Dan  and 
Naphtali. 

26  The   sons   of   Zilpah,    Leah's   maid:    Gad   and 
Asher. 

These  are  the  sons  of  Jacob,  who  were  born  to  him  in 
Paddan-Aram. 

2^  So  Jacob  came  to  his  father  Isaac  in  Mamre  at 
Kiriath-Arba,  that  is  Hebron,  where  Abraham  and  Isaac 
had  lived  as  aliens.  28  When  Isaac's  life  had  lasted  one 
hundred  and  eighty  years,  breathing  his  last,  29  he  died 


194      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

and  joined  his  people,  in  a  ripe  old  age;  and  his  sons 
Esau  and  Jacob  buried  him. 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    9 

Text. 25.27,  OUT-OF-DOOR  MAN  .  .  ORDERLY  .  .  DOMES- 
TIC. For  "  out-of-door  man  "  the  A.  V.  has  "  man  of  the 
field."  The  word  for  "  field,"  used  also  in  4.8,  25.29, 
27.3,  and  often  elsewhere,  means  the  "  open  country," 
the  territory  that  lay  outside  of  the  towns  and  camps  or 
places  of  habitation.  It  included  both  the  cultivated 
territory,  to  which  the  English  "  field  "  is'  generally 
restricted,  and  the  uncultivated  hunting-field.  Here  the 
latter  sense  is  foremost.  In  the  other  sense  of  the  word, 
Jacob  was  as  much  a  ''  man  of  the  field  "  as  was  Esau. 
''  Orderly  "  is  one  of  the  words  often  translated  in  the 
A.  V.  "  perfect  " ;  by  it  is  here  meant  simply  that  Jacob 
was  law-abiding,  a  man  of  law  and  order  and  regular 
habits.  "  Domestic  "  is  literally  "  living  in  tents  " ; 
Jacob  was  a  lover  of  home  and  indoor  life  in  contrast 
with  his  wilder  brother  Esau.  26.17,  Wady.  This  is  the 
name  for  a  sort  of  ravine  peculiar  to  Eastern  countries, 
in  which  a  stream  of  water  runs  part  of  the  year,  29.27, 
WEDDING-WEEK.  FoT  the  custom  of  prolonging  the  wed- 
ding festivities  for  a  week,  compare  the  account  of  the 
wedding  of  Samson  and  Delilah  in  Judges,  chap.  14. 
30.35,  But  that  very  day,  etc.  Laban  violates  the  spirit 
if  not  the  letter  of  the  agreement  he  has  just  made  with 
Jacob  by  removing  from  the  flock,  before  Jacob  has 
had  time  to  pick  them  out,  the  very  animals  he  has 
promised  shall  be  Jacob's.  Jacob  has  thus  some  show 
of  justification  for  the  sharp  practices  which  he  begins 
in  self-defense.  31.19,  teraphim.  Images  worshiped  in 
the  home  rather  than  in  public ;  a  sort  of  household  gods. 


NOTES    TO    SECTION   9  195 

32.30,  31,  Peniel.  .Penuel.  For  the  change  in  the  vowel 
compare  "  Mehujael.  .Mehijael,"  4.18,  and  see  note. 
33.19,  KESiTAH.  A  piece  of  silver  of  now  unknown  value. 
The  word  is  not  used  in  the  later  history,  and  occurs 
elsewhere  only  in  Job  (42.11),  to  be  counted  perhaps  as 
part  of  the  patriarchal  "  atmosphere "  of  that  book. 
35.5,  PANIC.  Literally,  "  terror  of  God,"  that  is,  ''  in- 
comparable terror."  See  note  to  10.9.  35.26.  The  table 
enumerates  Benjamin,  verse  24,  and  yet  says  that  these 
sons  were  born  in  Paddan-Aram,  verse  26,  although  the 
narrative,  verse  18,  says  that  Benjamin  was  born  in 
Canaan.  This  is  a  minute  inaccuracy,  which  any  com- 
piler or  composer  must  have  been  aware  of.  It  is  not 
an  incorrect  statement,  since  the  context  furnishes  the 
exact  facts,  but  it  is  only  an  inexact  statement  in  a 
summary. 

Origin. — There  is  nothing  in  the  section  that  might 
not  have  been  collected  by  Jacob,  and  the  most  of  it 
must  have  originated  with  his  parents  and  him. 

Form. — ^It  is  a  narrative  or  series  of  narratives,  con- 
taining also  oracles,  very  much  like  the  section  on  the 
descendants  of  Terah.  Like  that,  too,  it  may  be  divided 
into  twelve  subsections,  although  this  section,  with  the 
exception  of  subsection  3,  has  more  of  the  air  of  a  single 
continuous  story.  The  twelve  subsections  may  be 
grouped    into    four   larger   divisions. 

Contents. — The  first  four  subsections  may  be  taken 
together  under  the  title,  Jacob  and  Esau  with  Their 
Parents   (25.19 — 28.9). 

1.  The  Birth  of  Esau  and  Jacob  (25.19-26).  They 
were  the  gift  of  Jehovah  in  answer  to  Isaac's  prayers, 
and  were  born  after  a  poetic  oracle  had  been  given  to 
their  mother,  revealing  that  the  elder  was  to  serve  the 
younger.     They   were  appropriately  named. 

2.  Jacob  Buys  Esau's  Birthright  (25.27-34).  Esau 
became  a  hunter,  Jacob  a  shepherd  and  farmer.     Taking 


196      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

advantage  of  an  occasion  when  Esau  was  hungry,  Jacob 
bought  with  a  mess  of  simple  food  Esau's  right  as 
firstborn.  How  much  this  involved  we  do  not  know, 
but  it  certainly  involved  a  sort  of  precedency  in  authority 
and  in  heirship  of  the  promise  under  the  covenant. 

3.  Isaac  in  Gerar  (26.1-33.)  A  famine  arising  in 
Canaan,  Isaac  was  restrained  by  revelation  from  going 
to  Egypt,  and  so  lived  for  a  time  as  an  alien  in  Gerar 
with  Abimelech,  according  to  the  treaty  between 
Abraham  and  Abimelech.  Here  he  had  an  experience  in 
connection  with  his  wife  similar  to  that  which  Abraham 
had  once  experienced  in  Egypt,  and  once  in  this  same 
country,  with  of  course  an  earlier  Abimelech.  He  also 
had  trouble  over  some  wells  with  the  PhiHstines,  but 
finally  prevailed  by  peace.  The  treaty  with  Abimelech 
was  renewed. 

4.  Jacob's  Theft  of  the  Blessing  and  Flight  from 
Home  (26.34 — 28.9.)  The  further  development  in  the 
character  and  fortunes  of  the  two  brothers  is  narrated. 
First  comes  the  account  of  Esau's  marriage,  26.34,  35. 
He  marries,  to  the  grief  of  his  parents,  into  two  Hittite 
families.  Then  Jacob's  stealing  of  the  blessing  is  told, 
27.1-40.  At  the  suggestion  and  with  the  aid  of  his 
mother  Jacob  deceived  Isaac  and  supplanted  Esau ;  and 
Isaac,  perceiving  that  he  had  spoken  from  Jehovah,  let 
the  blessing  stand,  even  after  he  discovered  the  decep- 
tion. The  blessing,  which  was  in  poetic  form,  was  es- 
sentially that  Jacob  should  prosper,  should  be  lord  over 
his  brothers,  and  should  be  heir  of  the  covenant.  The 
immediate  consequence  to  Jacob,  however,  was  his  forced 
flight  to  Paddan-Aram,  27.41 — 28.5.  Esau's  hatred 
was  the  occasion,  and  Rebekah's  counsel  was  the  deter- 
mining influence.  But  before  Jacob's  departure  the 
blessing  was  more  fully  and  definitely  repeated  by  Isaac. 
Jacob  and  his  posterity  were  to  inherit  the  blessing  of 
Abraham,  including  the  country  that  had  been  given  to 


NOTES    TO    SECTION   9  197 

him.     The  subsection  closes  with  an  account  of  Esau's 
third  marriage,  28.6-9,  this  time  to  an  IshmaeHtess. 

The  next  four  subsections  together  tell  us  of  Jacob  in 
Exile  (28.10 — 30.43). 

5.  Jacob  at  Bethel  (28.10-22.)  Here  he  received  a 
revelation  fully  confirming  Isaac's  last  blessing,  and  re- 
calling and  repeating  the  great  thing  in  the  Abrahamic 
promise,  that  the  chosen  race  should  be  a  blessing  to  all 
the  nations.  He  therefore  called  the  place  Bethel 
(House-of-God),  and  vowed  to  give  a  tenth  to  the  God 
of  Bethel  on  his  return  to  his  father's  house  in  peace. 
A  special  item  in  the  revelation  at  Bethel  was  the  vision 
of  the  stairway  between  earth  and  heaven  on  which 
angels  ascended  and  descended,  thus  indicating  com- 
munication between  heaven  and  earth. 

6.  Jacob's  Marriage  (29.1-30).  At  the  end  of  his 
journey  he  met  his  uncle  Laban  and  his  cousins  Rachel 
and  Leah,  and  entered  Laban's  service.  By  trickery  he 
was  snared  into  marrying  Leah,  and  out  of  love  he 
married  Rachel. 

7.  Jacob  Becomes  a  Father  (29.31 — 30.24.)  The 
birth  of  eleven  sons  and  one  daughter  to  him  in  Paddan- 
Aram  is  then  narrated,  careful  mention  being  made  of 
the  significance  of  each  son's  name.  Reuben,  Simeon, 
Levi,  and  Judah  were  borne  by  Leah ;  then  Dan  and 
Naphtali  by  Bilhah,  Rachel's  maid ;  then  Gad  and  Asher 
by  Zilpah,  Leah's  maid ;  then  Issachar  and  Zebulun  by 
Leah  again,  and  a  daughter,  Dinah ;  and  then  Joseph  by 
Rachel. 

8.  Jacob  Becomes  Rich  (30.25-43.)  In  the  contest 
with  Laban,  Jacob  outwits  him  and  thus,  as  well  as  by 
dint  of  industry,  grows  rich  in  sheep  and  goats,  in  slaves, 
and  in  camels  and  donkeys. 

The  next  two  subsections  form  the  story  of  Jacob's 
Homecoming  (31. i — 33.20). 

9.  Jacob's  Escape  from  Laban  (31. i — 32.2.)     He  fled 


198      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

from  Laban  secretly,  and  was  overtaken  by  him  in  Gilead, 
so  called  from  the  heap  or  cairn  of  stones  set  up  as  a 
witness  of  the  parting  compact  of  peace  between  the  two ; 
called  also  Mispah  or  Witness.  Here  Jacob  offered  a 
sacrifice,  and  he  and  his  kinsmen  ate  the  sacrifice  to- 
gether, thus  ratifying  the  treaty.  Then,  while  he  was 
between  Laban  and  Esau,  angels  of  God  met  him,  con- 
firming his  faith. 

10.  Jacob's  Escape  from  Esau  (32.3 — 33.20.)  His 
preparation  for  the  meeting  with  Esau  is  first  described, 
32.3-21.  He  skilfully  planned  a  division  of  his  people 
and  possessions,  so  that  some  might  escape,  and  sent  on 
presents  to  Esau,  so  as  to  pacify  him.  He  also  made  his 
plea  with  Jehovah,  recalling  the  promises.  At  this  junc- 
ture took  place  the  all-important  event  by  which  Jacob 
became  Israel,  32.22-32.  Alone  he  wrestled  with  a 
''  Man,"  whom  he  would  not  let  go  till  he  blessed  him, 
and  so  had  his  name  changed  to  He-Battles-with-God, 
or  Israel.  Then  comes  his  peaceful  meeting  with  Esau, 
33.1-17.  Finally  he  reaches  Canaan  and  settles  at 
Shechem,  33.18-20.  Here  he  buys  a  piece  of  land,  erects 
an  altar,  and  calls  it  El-Elohe-Israel. 

The  remaining  two  subsections  group  themselves  as 
telling  of  Jacob  in  Canaan  (34.1 — 35.29). 

11.  Jacob  at  Shechem  (chap.  34.)  Because  of  the 
betrayal  of  their  sister  Dinah  by  the  son  of  the  Sheikh 
of  Shechem,  Simeon  and  Levi  by  falsehood  and  violence 
take  vengeance  on  the  Shechemites. 

12.  Jacob  at  Bethel  Again  (chap.  35).  Jacob's  jour- 
ney from  Shechem  to  Bethel  is  first  described,  35.1-8. 
He  went  to  Bethel  by  revelation,  and  built  there  an  altar, 
calling  the  place  El-Bethel ;  but  before  leaving  Shechem 
he  buried  under  an  oak  the  teraphim  of  Rachel  and  all 
the  other  idols  that  were  among  his  people.  At  Bethel 
was  buried  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  with  great  weep- 
ing.    We   next    learn    of   God's    second    appearance   at 


NOTES    TO    SECTION   9  199 

Bethel,  35.9-15,  in  which  he  renewed  all  the  promises. 
On  his  departure  occurred  the  birth  of  his  last  son  Ben- 
jamin and  the  death  of  Rachel,  35.16-20.  Israel  called 
his  son  Son-of-My-Right-Hand,  or  Benjamin,  instead  of 
Son-of-My-Sorrow.  At  the  end  are  added  a  number  of 
details,  very  much  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Terah- 
Section  :  Reuben's  commission  of  adultery  with  Bilhah, 
one  of  his  father's  concubines,  35.21,  22a;  the  enumera- 
tion of  Jacob's  sons,  35.22b-26 ;  and  the  death  of  Isaac, 
35.27-29,  at  the  age  of  180.  He  is  buried  by  Esau  and 
Jacob. 

Facts  and  Teachings. — When  Isaac  married,  he  was 
40  and  Abraham  140;  when  Jacob  and  Esau  were  born, 
Isaac  was  60  and  Abraham  160;  when  Abraham  died, 
Isaac  was  75  and  Esau  and  Jacob  15;  when  Esau  first 
married,  Isaac  was  100  and  he  and  Jacob  were  40 ;  when 
Jacob  fled  to  Paddan-Aram,  Isaac  was  130  and  Jacob 
70;  when  Jacob  returned  to  Canaan,  Isaac  was  150,  Jacob 
90,  and  Joseph  an  infant ;  when  Joseph  was  sold  into 
Egypt,  Isaac  w^as  167,  Jacob  107,  and  Joseph  17;  when 
Isaac  died,  he  was  180,  Jacob  120,  and  Joseph  30  and 
just  then  come  to  honor  with  Pharaoh;  when  Jacob  went 
down  to  Egypt,  he  was  130  and  Joseph  about  40;  when 
Jacob  died,  he  was  147  and  Joseph  about  57 ;  and  when 
Joseph  died,  he  was  no.  These  figures  may  help  us  to 
realize  how  far  the  patriarchs  were  contemporary. 

We  see  that  polygamy  continues.  While  not  practised 
by  Isaac  himself,  it  was  practised  by  both  Esau  and 
Jacob.  Isaac  repeated  the  falsehood  of  Abraham ;  and 
Rebekah  and  Jacob  were  much  given  to  falsehood. 
Idolatry,  also,  prevailed  in  Laban's  household,  and 
Rachel  was  an  idolater ;  and  we  cannot  say  that  there  was 
no  idolatry  in  the  households  of  Abraham  and  Isaac. 
Slavery  was  a  matter  of  course  with  all  the  patriarchs ; 
and  some  of  the  noblest  characters  were  slaves,  as  Eliezer 
and  Deborah. 


200      THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ISAAC 

All  Jehovah's  dealings  with  Isaac  and  Jacob  were  on 
the  basis  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  which  was  repeated 
and  confirmed  to  Jacob,  as  over  against  Esau.  At  the 
same  time,  kindred  lines,  although  excluded  from  the 
inner  circle  of  heirs  of  the  covenant,  shared  to  some  ex- 
tent in  its  blessings. 

The  great  thing  in  this  section  is  the  change  of  Jacob 
into  Israel.  Never  thereafter  does  he  use  falsehood, 
although  he  grievously  suffers  from  it  in  others.  Here, 
then,  is  the  method  of  teaching  by  revelatory  facts.  In 
this  instance,  we  see  the  falsehood  in  his  ancestors  and 
in  him ;  we  see  the  grievous  consequences  of  it ;  and  we 
see  his  character  growing  out  of  it  as  he  comes  into  a 
better  life  with  God.  But  the  change  in  Jacob  was  far 
profounder  than  the  mere  giving  up  of  falsehood.  In 
him  was  demonstrated  again  the  life  of  prayer  and  fel- 
lowship with  God  that  was  possible  to  men. 

Theophanies  and  other  appearances  of  God  were 
granted,  and  angels  came  into  prominence,  especially  in 
the  case  of  Jacob. 

Sacrifice  continued.  The  eating  together  of  a  sacrifi- 
cial meal  in  the  making  of  a  covenant  is  especially  to  be 
noted. 


SECTION    10 

36.     ^    AND   THESE   ARE   THE  DESCENDANTS   OF   ESAU,   THAT 
IS,     EDOM 

2  Esau  married  Canaanite  women :  namely,  Adah  the 
daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite,  Oholibamah,  the  daughter 
of  Anah,  the  daughter  of  Sibeon  the  Hivvite,  ^  and  Base- 
math,  the  daughter  of  Ishmael  and  the  sister  of  Nebaioth. 
*  Adah  bore  EHphaz  to  Esau ;  Basemath,  Reuel ;  ^  and 
OhoUbamah,  Jeush,  Jalam,  and  Korah.  These  are  the 
sons  of  Esau  that  were  born  to  him  in  Canaan. 

^  Esau  took  his  wives,  sons,  and  daughters,  all  the 
people  of  his  household,  his  live  stock,  all  his  beasts,  and 
all  his  property  that  he  had  acquired  in  Canaan,  and 
went  to  a  country  that  was  away  from  his  brother  Jacob. 
'^  For  their  possessions  were  too  great  for  them  to  live 
together,  and  the  land  in  which  they  were  living  as  aliens 
was  not  able  to  support  them  on  account  of  their  live 
stock.  8  So  Esau  settled  in  Mount  Seir ;  Esau  being  the 
same  as  Edom. 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    lo 

Text.'—2fi.2,  3.  According  to  26.34  and  28.9  Esau's 
wives  were  Judith,  daughter  of  Beeri,  the  Hittite ;  Base- 
math,  daughter  of  Elon,  the  Hittite ;  and  Mahalath, 
daughter  of  Ishmael  and  sister  of  Nebaioth.  Here  the 
daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite  is  Adah,  not  Basemath ;  the 
daughter  of  Ishmael  is  Basemath,  not  Mahalath ;  and 
Oholibamah  the  Hivvitess,  takes  the  place  of  Judith,  the 

201 


202       THE    DESCENDANTS    OF   ESAU 

Hittitess.  With  this  agrees  36.10,  14.  It  may  be  that 
Judith  died  without  leaving  descendants,  and  that 
Ohohbamah  took  her  place.  Other  suppositions  may  be 
made ;  but  after  all  there  seems  to  be  some  discrepancy 
between  the  two  accounts.  Whether  this  discrepancy 
arose  in  the  course  of  scribal  transmission,  or  already 
existed  in  the  sources  of  the  compiler,  or  is  merely  ap- 
parent, we  have  not  the  means  now  for  determining. 

Origin. — This,  which  is  one  of  the  twelve  sections  of 
Genesis,  lists  the  sons  of  Esau,  and  tells  of  his  removal 
to  Mount  Seir,  leaving  Canaan  to  Jacob.  It  may  have 
been  composed  by  Jacob. 

Content. — From  this  section  and  35.29  it  is  evident  that 
the  permanent  separation  between  Esau  and  Jacob  was 
made  amicably. 


SECTION    II 

36.     ^    AND    THESE    ARE    THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    ESAU,    THE 
FATHER  OF  EDOM,  IN  MOUNT  SEIR 

1^  These  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Esau: 
Eliphaz,  the  son  of  Adah,  Esau's  wife ; 
Reuel,  the  son  of  Basemath,  Esau's  wife. 

11  The  sons  of  Eliphaz  were :  Teman ;  Omar ;  Sepho, 
Gatam,  and  Kenaz.  ^^  Also  Timna,  who  was  a  concu- 
bine of  Eliphaz,  Esau's  son,  bore  Amalek  to  Eliphaz. 
These  are  the  sons  of  Adah,  Esau's  wife. 

12  These  are  the  sons  of  Reuel:  Nahath  and  Zerah, 
Shammah  and  Mizzah.  These  were  the  sons  of  Esau's 
wife  Basemath. 

14  These  were  the  sons  of  Oholibamah,  the  daughter 
of  Anah,  the  daughter  of  Sibeon,  Esau's  wife:  she  bore 
to  Esau  Jeush,  Jalam,  and  Korah. 

15  These  are  the  "  Alluphs  "  of  the  Esau  Kin : 

The  Kin  of  Eliphaz,  Esau's  eldest:  Alluph  of  Teman, 
Alluph  of  Omar,  Alluph  of  Sepho,  Alluph  of  Kenaz, 
16  Alluph  of  Korah,  Alluph  of  Gatam,  Alluph  of  Amalek. 
These  are  the  Alluphs  of  Eliphaz  in  the  country  of  Edom 
— the  Kin  of  Adah. 

1"^  This  is  the  Kin  of  Esau's  son  Reuel:  Alluph  of 
Nahath,  Alluph  of  Zerah,  Alluph  of  Shammah,  and 
Alluph  of  Mizzah.  These  are  the  Alluphs  of  Reuel  in 
the  country  of  Edom — the  Kin  of  Basemath,  Esau's  wife. 

IS  This  is  the  Kin  of  Esau's  wife  Oholibamah :  Alluph 
of  Jeush,  Alluph  of  Jalam,  and  Alluph  of  Korah.  These 
are  the  Alluphs  of  Esau's  wife  Oholibamah,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Anah. 

203 


204     DESCENDANTS  OF  ESAU  IN  MT.  SEIR 

19  This  is  the  Kin  of  Esau,  and  these  are  their  Alluphs, 
that  is,  of  Edom. 

20  These  are  the  sons  of  Seir  the  Horite,  who  were 
inhabitants  of  the  country :  Lotan,  Shobal,  Sibeon,  Anah, 
21  Dishon,  Eser,  and  Dishan.  The  same  are  the  Alluphs 
of  the  Horites,  the  Kin  of  Seir,  in  the  country  of  Edom. 

22  The  sons  of  Lotan  were  Hori  and  Heman,  and  the 
sister  of  Lotan  was  Timna. 

23  These  are  the  sons  of  Shobal:  Alvan,  Manahath, 
and  Ebal;  Shepho  and  Onam. 

24  These  are  the  sons  of  Sibeon:  Aiiah  and  Anah. 
This  is  the  Anah  who  discovered  the  hot  springs  in  the 
Wilderness  when  he  was  grazing  his  father  Sibeon's 
donkeys. 

25  These  are  the  sons  of  Anah:  Dishon  (with  Oholi- 
bamah,  Anah's  daughter). 

26  These  are  the  sons  of  Dishon:  Hemdan,  Eshban, 
Ithran,  and  Keran. 

2"^  These  are  the  sons  of  Eser :  Bilhan,  Zaavan,  and 
Akan. 

28  These  are  the  sons  of  Dishan:   Us  and  Aran. 

29  These  are  the  Alluphs  of  the  Horites:  Alluph  of 
Lotan,  Alluph  of  Shobal,  Alluph  of  Sibeon,  Alluph  of 
Anah,  ^^  Alluph  of  Dishon,  Alluph  of  Eser,  and  Alluph 
of  Dishan.  These  are  the  Alluphs  of  the  Horites,  com- 
prising their  Alluphs  in  the  country  of  Seir. 

^1  These  are  the  kings  that  reigned  in  the  country  of 
Edom  before  the  Israelite  Kin  had  a  king  to  reign: 

22  Bela  the  son  of  Beor  reigned  in  Edom,  the  name 
of  his  capital  being  Dinhabah.  ^3  When  Bela  died,  Jobab 
the  son  of  Zerah  from  Bosrah  reigned  as  his  successor. 
2*  When  Jobab  died,  Husham  from  the  country  of  the 
Temanites  reigned  as  his  successor.  ^5  When  Husham 
died,  Hadad  the  son  of  Bedad,  who  defeated  Midian  in 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    ii  205 

the  territory  of  Moab,  reigned  as  his  successor,  the  name 
of  his  capital  being  Avith.  ^6  when  Hadad  died,  Samlah 
from  Masrekah  reigned  as  his  successor.  ^7  When 
Samlah  died,  Saul  from  Rehoboth  on  the  River  reigned 
as  his  successor.  ^^  When  Saul  'died,  Baal-Hanan  the 
son  of  Akbor  reigned  as  his  successor.  ^^  When  Baal- 
Hanan  the  son  of  Akbor  died,  Hadar  reigned  as  his  suc- 
cessor, the  name  of  his  capital  being  Pau,  and  the  name 
of  his  wife  being  Mehitabel  the  daughter  of  Matred,  the 
daughter  of  Me-Zahab. 

^^  These  are  the  different  names  of  the  Alluphs  of 
Esau  as  they  passed  over  to  their  families  and  their  seats : 
Alluph  of  Timna,  Alluph  of  Alvah,  Alluph  of  Jetheth, 
41  Alluph  of  Oholibamah,  Alluph  of  Elah,  Alluph  of 
Pinon,  42  Alluph  of  Kenaz,  Alluph  of  Teman,  Alluph 
of  Mibsar,  ^3  Alluph  of  Magdiel,  and  Alluph  of  Iram. 
These  are  the  Alluphs  of  Edom  by  their  various  resi- 
dences, upon  the  land  that  they  held. 

This  is  Esau,  the  Father  of  Edom.  37.  1  But  Jacob 
stayed  in  the  country  where  his  father  had  lived  as  an 
alien,  in  Canaan. 


NOTES   TO   SECTION    11 

The  word  "  Alluph  "  is  a  title  of  rank  found  in  the 
Old  Testament  only  in  connection  with  the  Edomites. 
It  is  probably  an  Edomite  word ;  and  as  we  do  not  know 
its  exact  significance,  it  seems  best  to  transfer  it. 

This,  which  is  another  of  the  twelve  sections  of 
Genesis,  tells  of  the  development  of  the  Edomites  after 
their  removal  to  Mount  Seir.  First  are  given  the  sons 
of  Esau ;  then  the  "  Alluphs,"  or  chiefs,  of  the  Esau  Kin ; 


2o6     DESCENDANTS  OF  ESAU  IN  MT.  SEIR 

next  the  sons  of  Seir  the  Horite,  who  was  already  in 
the  country  before  Esau's  coming,  and  whose  descendants 
became  mixed  with  the  Edomites ;  after  that  a  Hst  of 
eight  kings  that  reigned  successively  in  the  country  of 
Edom  before  there  reigned  any  king  in  Israel ;  and 
finally  ten  "  Alluphs  "  that  came  of  Esau,  hereditary  (  ?) 
rulers  of  districts  of  Edom.  To  this  is  added  a  sentence 
informing  us  that  Jacob  dwelt  in  Canaan  while  Esau 
and  his  descendants  were  developing  in  Seir. 

The  section  could  not  have  been  put  into  its  present 
form  in  the  patriarchal  period.  The  paragraph  about 
the  kings  must  have  been  completed,  if  not  wholly  com- 
posed, by  the  final  compiler  of  Genesis  and  the  Penta- 
teuch. But  most  of  the  other  data  given  in  the  section 
might  have  been  put  together  by  Jacob. 


SECTION    12 

37.     -    THESE    ARE    THE    DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

Joseph,  when  seventeen  years  old,  became  a  shepherd 
over  the  sheep  and  goats  with  his  brothers,  being  an  at- 
tendant upon  the  sons  of  his  father's  wives  Bilhah  and 
Zilpah.  But  he  brought  his  father  a  bad  account  of  them. 
^  Besides,  Israel  loved  Joseph  best  of  all  his  sons,  because 
he  took  filial  care  of  him  in  his  old  age ;  and  he  made 
him  a  coat  like  that  of  a  prince.  ^  Thus  his  brothers  saw 
that  he  was  the  one  his  father  loved  better  than  any  of 
his  brothers.  So  they  hated  him,  and  could  not  speak 
to  him  civilly. 

^  Joseph  had  a  dream  which  he  told  to  his  brothers ; 
then  they  hated  him  still  more. 

^  "  Hear  this  dream,  if  you  please,"  he  said  to  them, 
**  that  I  have  had.  "^  There  we  were  out  in  the  field, 
binding  sheaves ;  and  all  at  once  my  sheaf  rose,  and 
stood  straight  up ;  and  immediately  there  came  your 
sheaves  all  around  it  and  bowed  down  to  my  sheaf." 

^  "A  king!  or  a  lord!"  replied  his  brothers  to  him; 
"  are  you  going  to  be  king  or  lord  over  us !  " 

So  they  hated  him  still  more,  both  on  account  of  his 
dreams  and  his  words. 

^  Again  he  had  another  dream  that  he  told  his  brothers. 

*'  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  have  had  another  dream.  There, 
bowing  down  to  me,  were  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and 
eleven  stars." 

1^  When  he  told  this  to  his  father  and  his  brothers, 
his  father  reprimanded  him. 

207 


2o8      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

"  What  sort  of  a  dream  is  this  you  have  had?"  he  said 
to  him.  "  Are  we  indeed  going  to  come, — I,  your  mother, 
and  your  brothers, — ^to  bow  down  so  low  to  you  ?  " 

1^  So  his  brothers  were  jealous  of  him.  But  his  father 
kept  the  matter  in  mind. 

12  Once  when  his  brothers  had  gone  to  graze  their 
father's  sheep  and  goats  at  Shechem,  ^^  Israel  said  to 
Joseph, 

"  Are  not  your  brothers  grazing  the  sheep  and  goats 
at  Shechem?    Come,  let  me  send  you  to  them." 

"  Here  I  am,"  he  said  to  him. 

1^  "  Go,  please,"  he  said  to  him,  "  and  see  how  your 
brothers  are  getting  on,  and  the  flock,  and  bring  me 
word." 

So  he  sent  him  from  the  Valley  of  Hebron,  and  he 
came  to  Shechem.  ^^  A  man  found  him  wandering  there 
in  the  open  country;  and  the  man  asked  him, 

"  What  are  you  looking  for  ?  " 

16  "  I  am  looking  for  my  brothers,"  he  answered ; 
"  tell  me,  if  you  please,  where  they  arc  grazing." 

1^  "  They  have  left  here,"  the  man  replied ;  "  and  I 
heard  them  say, 

"  *  Let  us  go  to  Dothan.'  " 

So  Joseph  went  after  his  brothers,  and  found  them  in 
Dothan. 

1^  They  saw  him  at  a  distance,  and  before  he  came 
near  them,  they  plotted  against  him  to  take  his  life. 

19  "  There  comes  that  master  of  dreams,"  they  said 
to  one  another,  ^o  ''  Now  come,  let  us  kill  him  and  throw 
him  into  one  of  the  cisterns,  and  then  say, 

"  '  Some  ferocious  animal  has  eaten  him  up,' 
and  then  let  us  see  what  will  become  of  his  dreams." 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  209 

21  But  when  Reuben  heard  it,  he  rescued  him  from 
them  by  saying, 

"  Let  us  not  take  his  Hfe  by  violence.  22  j^q  ^ot  shed 
blood,"  he  went  on  to  them ;  '*  throw  him  into  this  cistern 
here  in  the  wilderness,  and  do  not  lay  your  own  hands 
on  him," — so  that  he  might  rescue  him  from  them  and 
return  him  to  his  father. 

22  So  it  came  about  that  when  Joseph  reached  his 
brothers,  they  stripped  him  of  the  coat, — the  prince's 
coat,  which  he  had  on, — ^4  ^j^^j  ^qqJ^  j^jj^  ^^^  threw  him 
into  the  cistern,  which  was  empty  and  had  no  water 
in  it. 

2^  While  they  sat  eating  their  food,  they  looked  up 
and  there  they  saw  a  caravan  of  Ishmaelites  coming 
from  Gilead,  with  their  camels  carrying  gum  tragacanth, 
balsam,  and  labdanum.  going  down  to  take  them  to  Egypt. 
26  Thereupon  Judah  said  to  his  brothers, 

"  What  shall  we  gain  by  killing  our  brother  and  con- 
cealing his  murder?  27  Come,  let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ish- 
maelites, and  not  lay  our  own  hands  on  him,  for  he  is  our 
brother, — our  own  flesh  and  blood." 

His  brothers  agreed. 

28  But  there  passed  by  some  Midianite  merchants,  and 
pulled  Joseph  up  out  of  the  cistern,  and  for  twelve  ounces 
of  silver  sold  him  to  the  Ishmaelites.  These  carried  him 
to  Egypt. 

29  When  Reuben  returned  to  the  cistern,  and  there 
was  no  Joseph  in  the  cistern,  he  tore  his  clothes.    ^^  Then 

he  returned  to  his  brothers. 

"  The  child  has  disappeared,"  he  said ;  "  and  I — where 
shall  I  go?" 

31  But  they  took  Joseph's  coat,  slaughtered  a  he-goat, 
and  stained  the  coat  with  the  blood.     ^2  Then  they  sent 


2IO      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

the  prince's  coat  and  had  it  taken  to  their  father,  with 
the  words, 

"  This  we  have  found.  Now  examine  whether  or  not 
it  is  your  son's  coat." 

33  When  he  had  examined  it,  he  said, 

"  It  is  my  son's  coat.  Some  ferocious  animal  has  eaten 
him  up.    Joseph  has  been  torn  to  pieces !  " 

34  Then  Jacob  tore  his  clothing-,  put  on  mourning,  and 
mourned  for  his  son  a  long  time.  '^  Although  all  his 
sons  and  all  his  daughters  tried  to  console  him,  he  re- 
fused to  be  consoled,  but  said, 

"  No,  but  I  will  go  mourning  down  to  my  son  in 
Sheol ! " 

Thus  his  father  wept  for  him. 

36  But  the  traders  sold  him  in  Egypt  to  Potiphar, 
an  officer  of  Pharaoh's,  the  head  butcher. 


38.  1  It  was  during  this  time  that  Judah  went  down, 
leaving  his  brothers,  and  stopped  to  visit  an  Adullamite 
whose  name  was  Hirah.  ^  There  he  saw  the  daughter  of 
a  Canaanite  whose  name  was  Shua,  whom  he  married  and 
lived  with.  3  g^g  conceived  and  had  a  son,  whom  he 
named  Er.  ^  Again  she  conceived  and  had  a  son,  whom 
she  named  Onan.  ^  Still  again  she  had  a  son,  whom  she 
named  Shelah.  He  was  in  Kezib  when  she  gave  birth 
to  this  one. 

6  For  his  eldest,  Er,  Judah  got  a  wife  whose  name  was 
Tamar.  '^  But  Er.  Judah's  eldest,  became  a  bad  man  in 
the  eyes  of  Jehovah ;  and  Jehovah  took  away  his  life. 
^  Then  Judah  said  to  Onan, 

"  Live  with  your  brother's  wife,  and  do  a  brother-in- 
law's  part  by  her ;  and  supply  offspring  for  your  brother." 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  211 

^  But  Onan  knew  that  the  offspring  would  not  be  his 
own;  and  so  whenever  he  was  with  his  brother's  wife, 
he  would  pollute  the  ground  rather  than  give  offspring 
to  his  brother.  ^^  What  he  did  was  bad  in  the  eyes 
of  Jehovah,  and  he  took  away  his  life  also. 

^^  Then  Judah  said  to  his  daughter-in-law  Tamar, 
"  Remain  a  widow  in  your  father's  house  till  my  son 

Shelah  grows  up," — for  he  thought,  *'  Perhaps  he  also 

may  die  like  his  brothers." 

So  Tamar  went  and  stayed  in  her  father's  house. 

^2  A  good  while  after,  Shua's  daughter,  Judah's  wife, 
died.  He  had  become  consoled,  and  was  going  up,  to- 
gether with  his  friend  Hirah  the  Adullamite,  to  the 
shearers  of  his  flock  at  Timnath.  ^^  When  the  news  was 
brought  to  Tamar, 

*'  Your  father-in-law  is  going  up  to  Timnath  to 

shear  his  flock," 
1^  she  took  off  her  widow's  dress,  covered  herself  with  her 
veil,  wrapped  herself  up,  and  took  her  seat  in  the  entrance 
to  Enaim,  which  is  on  the  road  to  Timnath ;  for  she  saw 
that  Shelah  had  grown  up  without  her  being  married 
to  him. 

1^  When  Judah  saw  her,  he  thought  she  was  a  prosti- 
tute, because  her  face  was  covered.  ^^  So  he  stopped 
to  speak  to  her  on  the  road, 

"  Come,  let  me  be  with  you,  if  you  please,"  he  said, — 
not  knowing  that  she  was  his  daughter-in-law. 

"  What  will  you  give  me,"  she  replied,  "  to  be  with 
me?" 

1"^  "  I  will  send  you,"  he  answered,  ''  a  kid  from  the 
flock." 


212       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

"  If  you  will  give  me  some  security,"  she  said,  "  till 
you  send  it." 

18  "What  security  shall  I  give  you?"  he  asked. 

"  Your  signet-ring  and  the  cord  you  have  for  it,"  she 
answered,  *'  and  your  staff  there  in  your  hand." 

He  gave  them  to  her;  and  he  was  with  her  and  she 
conceived  by  him.  ^^  Then  she  got  up  and  went  away; 
and  she  took  off  her  veil  and  put  on  her  widow's  dress. 

20  Judah  sent  the  kid  by  his  friend  the  Adullamite, 
in  order  to  get  his  security  from  the  woman,  but  he  did 
not  find  her.     ^i  When  he  asked  the  men  of  her  locality, 

"  Where  is  the  votaress,  she  who  was  at  Enaim 

beside  the  road?  " 
they  answered,  "  There  was  no  votaress  here." 

22  So  he  returned  to  Judah  and  said, 

''  I  did  not  find  her ;  and  besides,  the  men  of  the  locaHty 
said, 

"  '  There   was   no  votaress   here.'  " 

23  Then  Judah  said,  ''  Let  her  take  them,  or  else  we 
may  be  disgraced ;  there  now !  I  sent  her  this  kid,  and 
you  did  not  find  her." 

24  But  about  three  months  afterwards  this  news  was 
brought  to  Judah, 

"  Your  daughter-in-law  Tamar  has  played  the  prosti- 
tute,  and  has  besides  conceived  in  her  prostitution." 
Judah  said,  "  Bring  her  out  and  let  her  be  burnt." 

25  When  she  was  brought  out,  she  sent  this  message 
to  her  father-in-law : 

"  By  the  man  to  whom  these  belong  I  have  conceived," 
she  said.  ''  Examine  and  see,  if  you  please,  whose  these 
things  are, — ^the  signet-ring,  the  cord,  and  the  staff." 

26  When  Judah  examined  them,  he  said, 

"  She  is  more  upright  than  I ;  because  I  did  not  marry 
her  to  my  son  Shelah." 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  213 

He  did  not  again  have  intercourse  with  her. 

27  When  the  time  came  for  her  to  give  birth,  there  in 
her  womb  were  twins.  ^8  While  she  was  giving  birth,  a 
hand  was  reached  out ;  and  the  midwife  took  a  scarlet 
thread  and  tied  it  on  the  hand,  saying, 

**  This  one  came  out  first." 

29  But  as  he  drew  back  his  hand,  there  came  his  brother 
out. 

"  How  you  have  broken  out !  "  she  said.  "  May  you 
be  broken  yourself !  " 

From  that  he  was  named  Peres  [Breaking].  ^^  After 
that  his  brother  came  out  with  the  scarlet  thread  on  his 
hand;  and  he  was  named  Zerah. 


39.  1  When  Joseph  was  brought  down  to  Egypt, 
Potiphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh's,  the  head  butcher, 
bought  him  from  the  Ishmaelites  who  had  brought  him 
down  there.  ^  But  Jehovah  was  with  Joseph,  and  he  was 
successful.  While  he  was  in  the  house  of  his  master  the 
Egyptian,  ^  his  master,  seeing  that  Jehovah  was  with 
him  and  made  whatever  he  did  succeed  under  his  manage- 
ment, *  regarded  Joseph  with  favor.  So  Joseph  became 
his  personal  attendant,  and  he  appointed  him  over  his 
house,  putting  all  that  belonged  to  him  under  his  man- 
agement. ^  From  the  time  that  he  appointed  him  over 
his  house  and  over  all  that  belonged  to  him,  the  result 
was  that  Jehovah  blessed  the  Egyptian's  house  for 
Joseph's  sake ;  and  Jehovah's  blessing  was  on  all  that 
belonged  to  him  in  house  and  field.  ^  So  he  gave  all  that 
belonged  to  him  over  to  Joseph's  management,  and  left 
everything  to  his  sole  direction  except  the  food  that  he 
was  to  eat. 


214      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

Joseph,  furthermore,  was  handsome  both  in  form  and 
feature.  "^  So  one  day,  after  this,  Potiphar's  wife  began 
to  direct  her  glances  at  him,  and  said, 

"  Lie  with  me." 

^  But  he  refused,  and  said  to  his  master's  wife, 

"  See,  my  master  has  left  all  that  is  in  the  house  to 
my  sole  direction,  and  has  put  everything  that  belongs 
to  him  under  my  management.  ^  He  himself  is  not 
greater  in  this  house  than  I,  and  he  has  kept  back  nothing 
whatever  from  me  except  you,  because  you  are  his  wife. 
Now  how  can  I  do  this  great  evil,  and  fall  short  of  my 
duty  to  God?" 

1^  So,  though  she  spoke  to  Joseph  day  by  day,  he  would 
not  listen  to  her  proposal  to  lie  beside  her  or  to  be  where 
she  was. 

1^  It  was  during  this  time  that  he  went  into  the  house 
to  do  his  work,  at  a  time  when  none  of  the  men  of  the 
household  were  there,  ^^  and  she  took  hold  of  his  cloak, 
and  said, 

"  Lie  with  me." 

But  leaving  his  cloak  in  her  hands,  he  ran  and  got  out. 
12  As  soon  as  she  saw  that  he  had  left  his  cloak  in  her 
hands  and  run  out,  ^^  she  summoned  the  men  of  the 
household  and  said  to  them, 

"  See,  he  has  brought  us  in  a  Hebrew  to  jeer  at  us. 
He  came  in  to  me  to  he  with  me,  but  I  cried  out ;  ^^  and 
when  he  heard  me  raise  my  voice  and  cry  out,  he  left 
his  cloak  beside  me,  and  ran  and  got  out." 

1^  So  she  laid  his  cloak  beside  her  till  his  master  came 
home.     Then  she  spoke  to  him  to  the  same  effect. 

1^  "  The  Hebrew  slave,"  she  said,  ''  whom  you  brought 
us,  came  in  to  me  to  jeer  at  me;  ^^  and  then,  when  I 
raised  my  voice  and  cried  out,  he  left  his  cloak  beside 
me  and  ran  out." 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  215 

19  When  his  master  heard  the  story  his  wife  told  him, 
"  So-and-so  your  slave  did  to  me," 
his  anger  was  hot.  20  Then  Joseph's  master  took  him 
and  put  him  into  the  "  Sohar,"  the  place  where  the 
King's  prisoners  were  confined ;  and  he  was  there  in  the 
''  Sohar." 


21  But  Jehovah  was  with  Joseph,  and  incited  kindness 
toward  him,  and  caused  the  warden  of  the  "  Sohar  "  to 
regard  him  with  favor.  22  3^  j-j^^  warden  of  the 
"  Sohar "  put  under  Joseph's  management  all  the  pris- 
oners that  were  in  the  "  Sohar."  All  that  was  done  there 
was  done  by  Joseph.  ^3  'pj^g  warden  of  the  "  Sohar  " 
did  not  look  after  anything  at  all  that  was  under  his 
management,  because  Jehovah  was  with  him  and  made 
whatever  he  did  succeed. 

40.  1  After  this  it  so  happened  that  the  King  of 
Egypt's  butler  and  his  baker  fell  short  of  their  duty  to 
their  master  the  King  of  Egypt.  2  Pharaoh  was  pro- 
voked with  his  two  officers,  the  head  butler  and  the  head 
baker,  ^  and  put  them  in  prison,  in  the  house  of  the  head 
butcher,  the  "  Sohar,"  the  place  where  Joseph  was  con- 
fined. ^  The  head  butcher  appointed  Joseph  to  be  with 
them,  and  he  became  their  personal  attendant. 

They  were  in  prison  for  some  time.  ^  The  two  had 
dreams,  both  the  butler  and  the  baker  of  the  King  of 
Egypt  who  were  confined  in  the  "  Sohar,"  on  the  same 
night,  each  dream  with  its  special  interpretation.  ^  In 
the  morning,  when  Joseph  came  in  to  them,  he  noticed 
how  gloomy  they  were.  '^  So  he  asked  the  officers  of 
Pharaoh  who  were  in  prison  with  him  in  his  master's 
house, 

"  Why  are  your  faces  so  long  to-day  ?  " 


2i6       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

^  "  We  have  had  a  dream,"  they  answered ;  ''  and  there 
is  no  one  to  interpret  it." 

"  Do  not  interpretations  belong  to  God  ?  "  Joseph  re- 
plied to  them.     '*  Tell  it  to  me,  I  beg  you." 

^  Then  the  head  butler  told  Joseph  his  dream  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  In  my  dream  there  before  me  was  a  vine.  '^^  and  on 
the  vine  three  branches;  and,  as  if  it  were  growing,  its 
flowers  came  out,  and  the  clusters  on  it  ripened  into 
grapes.  ^^  With  Pharaoh's  cup  in  my  hand,  I  took  the 
grapes  and  pressed  them  into  Pharaoh's  cup,  and  placed 
the  cup  in  Pharaoh's  hand." 

12  <<  'pj^is  is  the  interpretation,"  Joseph  said  to  him. 
"  The  three  branches  are  three  days.  ^^  In  three  days 
more  Pharaoh  will  lift  up  your  head  and  reinstate  you 
in  your  office;  and  you  will  hand  Pharaoh's  cup  to  him 
just  as  you  used  to  do  when  you  were  his  butler. 

^^  "  Now  if  you  remember  me  when  things  go  well  with 
you,  do  me  then  a  kindness,  will  you  not,  and  mention 
me  to  Pharaoh,  and  get  me  out  of  this  house.  ^^  For 
I  was  stolen, — stolen  out  of  the  country  of  the  Hebrews ; 
and  here  also  I  have  never  done  anything  at  all  that  they 
should  put  me  into  this  dungeon." 

1^  When  the  head  baker  saw  that  he  had  made  a  favor- 
able interpretation,  he  said  to  Joseph, 

"  I  too  was  dreaming,  and  there  on  my  head  were 
three  baskets  of  white  bread,  ^"^  and  in  the  topmost  basket 
some  of  all  sorts  of  Pharaoh's  pastry,  and  the  birds  eating 
them  out  of  the  basket  over  my  head." 

1^  Joseph  made  his  answer  in  these  words : 

"  This  is  its  interpretation.  The  three  baskets  are  three 
days.  1^  In  three  days  more  Pharaoh  will  '  lift  up  your 
head,' — off  you, — and  hang  you  up  on  a  stake,  and  the 
birds  will  eat  your  flesh  off  you." 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  217 

20  It  happened  that  the  third  day  was  Pharaoh's  birth- 
day. He  gave  an  entertainment  to  all  his  servants ;  and 
he  *  lifted  up  the  heads  '  of  the  head  butler  and  the  head 
baker  among  his  servants,  ^i  Hq  reinstated  the  head 
butler  in  his  office  of  butler,  so  that  he  placed  the  cup  in 
Pharaoh's  hand;  22  but  the  head  baker  he  hanged,  as 
Joseph  had  interpreted  to  them.  23  'YhQ  head  butler, 
however,  did  not  remember  Joseph,  but  forgot  him. 


41.  1  Two  whole  years  after  this,  Pharaoh  had  a 
dream.  There  he  was  standing  by  the  Nile ;  ^  and  there 
out  of  the  Nile  there  came  up  seven  cows,  fine-looking 
and  fat-fleshed,  and  they  grazed  in  the  marsh-grass. 
2  And  there  behind  them  there  came  up  out  of  the  Nile 
seven  more  cows,  ugly  and  thin-fleshed,  and  these  stood 
by  the  other  cows  on  the  margin  of  the  Nile.  *  Then 
the  ugly  and  thin-fleshed  cows  ate  up  the  seven  fine-look- 
ing and  fat  cows ! 

Then  Pharaoh  awoke.  ^  He  slept  and  dreamed  a 
second  time ;  and  there  on  a  single  stalk  there  came  up 
seven  heads  of  wheat,  rich  and  good.  ^  And  there  behind 
them  sprang  up  seven  heads  that  were  thin  and  shriveled 
up  with  the  east  wind.  '^  Then  the  thin  heads  swallowed 
up  the  seven  heads  that  were  rich  and  full ! 

Then  Pharaoh  awoke,  and  there  it  was,  a  dream. 

^  But  in  the  morning  his  mind  was  troubled,  and  he 
sent  and  summoned  all  the  sacred  scribes  of  Egypt  and 
all  its  wise  men.  Pharaoh  told  them  his  dreams,  but 
there  was  no  one  to  interpret  them  to  Pharaoh.  ^  Then 
the  head  butler  spoke  to  Pharaoh  as  follows : 

**  I  am  remembering  my  shortcomings  to-day.  ^^ 
Pharaoh  was  provoked  with  his  servants,  and  put  me  in 


2i8      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

prison  in  the  house  of  the  head  butcher, — me  and  the 
head  baker.  ^^  We  had  a  dream  the  same  night,  he  and 
I.  each  with  its  special  interpretation.  ^^  There  was 
there  with  us  a  Hebrew  young  man,  a  slave  of  the  head 
butcher's,  and  we  told  him.  He  interpreted  our  dreams 
for  us,  fitting  to  each  dream  its  interpretation.  ^^  And 
as  he  interpreted  for  us,  so  it  came  about:  he  reinstated 
me  in  my  office,  and  him  he  hanged." 

^^  Then  Pharaoh  sent  and  summoned  Joseph.  They 
brought  him  hastily  out  of  the  dungeon ;  and  when  he  had 
shaved  and  changed  his  clothes,  he  came  in  to  Pharaoh. 

15  **  I  have  had  a  dream,"  said  Pharaoh  to  Joseph,  "  and 
there  is  no  one  to  interpret  it.  But  I  have  heard  it  said 
about  you,  that  when  you  hear  a  dream  you  can  interpret 
it." 

1^  Joseph  made  his  answer  as  follows : 

''  It  is  beyond  me ;  but  God  will  make  Pharaoh  a  satis- 
factory answer." 

1^  Then  Pharaoh  spoke  to  Joseph: 

"  In  my  dream,  there  I  was  standing  on  the  margin  of 
the  Nile ;  ^^  and  there  out  of  the  Nile  there  came  up  seven 
cows,  fat  and  handsome,  and  they  grazed  in  the  marsh- 
grass  ;  1^  and  there  behind  them  there  came  up  seven  more 
cows,  stunted,  very  misshapen,  and  thin-fleshed, — I  have 
never  seen  the  like  of  them  in  the  whole  of  Egypt  for 
ugliness,  ^o  Then  the  lean  and  ugly  cows  ate  up  the  first 
seven  fat  cows !  ^^  and  after  they  had  disappeared  inside 
of  them,  it  was  not  apparent  that  they  were  inside  of 
them,  for  they  looked  just  as  ugly  as  at  first! 

''  So  I  awoke.  ^^  Then  I  saw  in  my  dream,  and  there 
on  a  single  stalk  there  came  up  seven  heads,  full  and 
good ;  23  and  there  behind  them  sprang  up  seven  heads 
that  were  shrunken,  thin,  and  shriveled  up  by  the  east 
wind ;  ^^  and  then  the  thin  heads  swallowed  up  the  seven 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  219 

good  heads !     I  have  told  it  to  the  sacred  scribes,  but 
there  is  no  one  to  explain  it  to  me." 

2^  Then  Joseph  answered  Pharaoh : 

"  Pharaoh's  dream  is  a  unit.  What  God  is  going  to 
do  he  has  told  Pharaoh.  ^6  ^pj^g  seven  good  cows  are 
seven  years,  and  the  seven  good  heads  are  seven  years; 
for  the  dream  is  a  unit.  '^'^  The  seven  lean  and  bad  cows 
that  came  up  after  them  are  seven  years,  as  well  as  the 
seven  empty  heads  shriveled  up  by  the  east  wind ;  they 
are  going  to  be  seven  years  of  famine.  ^^  The  thing 
that  I  have  spoken  to  Pharaoh  is  what  God  is  going  to 
do ;  he  has  shown  it  to  Pharaoh. 

29  "  For  seven  years  are  now  coming,  a  great  seven  in 
the  whole  of  Egypt.  ^^  But  after  them  there  are  going 
to  set  in  seven  years  of  famine,  and  all  the  abundance 
will  be  forgotten  in  Egypt.  The  famine  will  ruin  the 
country ;  ^^  and  nothing  will  be  known  about  the  abun- 
dance, because  of  that  subsequent  famine,  so  severe  will  it 
be.  ^2  And  the  dream  of  Pharaoh  was  doubled  for  this 
reason, — because  the  thing  is  fixed  by  God,  and  God  is 
hastening  to  do  it. 

38  "  Now  let  Pharaoh  look  up  a  man  who  is  prudent 
and  wise,  and  place  him  over  Egypt.  ^^  Let  Pharaoh  do 
this ;  then  let  him  appoint  agents  over  the  land,  and  levy 
a  tax  of  one-fifth  on  the  land  of  Egypt  in  the  seven  years 
of  abundance.  ^^  Let  them  collect  all  the  provisions  dur- 
ing those  seven  good  years  that  are  coming,  and  pile  up 
grain  for  provision  under  Pharaoh's  control  in  the  towns, 
and  keep  it.  ^^  Let  the  provisions  be  stored  up  for  the 
country  for  the  seven  years  of  famine  that  are  going  to 
come  in  Egypt,  and  let  not  the  country  be  depopulated 
in  the  course  of  the  famine." 

3"^  The  advice  seemed  good  to  Pharaoh  and  to  all  his 
servants.     ^^  Then  Pharaoh  said  to  his  servants. 


220      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

"  Is  there  to  be  found  any  one  like  this  man,  in  whom 
there  is  the  spirit  of  God?" 

29  To  Joseph  he  said,  ''  Since  God  has  shown  you  all 
this,  there  is  no  one  so  prudent  and  so  wise  as  you.  ^^ 
You  shall  be  over  my  household.  To  you  all  my  people 
shall  pay  homage,  and  only  in  the  throne  shall  I  be  greater 
than  you." 

^1  "  See  now,"  Pharaoh  went  on  to  Joseph,  "  I  have 
placed  you  over  the  whole  of  Egypt." 

^2  Then  Pharaoh  took  off  his  signet-ring  from  his  own 
hand  and  put  it  on  Joseph's  hand,  clothed  him  with  robes 
of  cotton,  put  a  gold  chain  around  his  neck,  ^^  and 
made  him  ride  in  the  second-best  chariot  that  he  had. 
They  called  out  before  him, 

"  Abrech  !  "  [Bend-the-Knee  !  (  ?)  ] 

So  he  was  put  over  the  whole  of  Egypt.  ^^  Then 
Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph, 

"  I  am  Pharaoh :  except  at  your  orders  no  man  in  the 
whole  of  Egypt  shall  raise  hand  or  foot." 

^5  Pharaoh  named  Joseph  Saphenath-Paneah.  He 
married  him  to  Asenath,  the  daughter  of  Poti-Pherah, 
the  Priest  of  On.  So  Joseph  went  out  over  Egypt.  ^^ 
Joseph  was  thirty  years  old  when  he  became  minister  of 
Pharaoh,  King  of  Egypt.  He  went  out  from  Pharaoh's 
presence,  and  passed  through  the  whole  of  Egypt. 

^'^  During  the  seven  years  of  abundance  the  land  pro- 
duced by  handfuls.  ^^  He  collected  all  the  provisions  of 
those  seven  years  that  were  in  Egypt,  and  stored  the  pro- 
visions in  the  towns,  putting  in  a  town  the  provisions 
from  the  fields  that  lay  around  it.  ^^  He  piled  up  grain 
like  the  sand  of  the  sea,  till  there  was  so  very  much  that 
he  ceased  to  keep  any  account  of  it,  for  there  was  no 
keeping  an  account. 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  221 

^^  Before  the  year  of  famine  came,  Joseph  had  two 
sons  borne  him  by  Asenath  the  daughter  of  Poti-Pherah, 
the  Priest  of  On.  ^^  The  elder  Joseph  named  Manasseh 
[Causing-to-Forget],  ''because  God  has  made  me  forget 
all  my  sorrow,  and  my  father's  family  " ;  ^2  and  the  second 
he  named  Ephraim  [Fruitful],  **  because  God  has  made 
me  fruitful  in  the  land  of  my  trouble." 

^^  The  seven  years  of  abundance  that  were  in  Egypt 
came  to  an  end.  ^^  Then  the  seven  years  of  famine  be- 
gan, as  Joseph  had  said.  There  was  a  famine  in  all 
countries ;  but  in  the  whole  of  Egypt  there  was  food. 
5^  When  the  whole  of  Egypt  was  suffering  in  the  famine, 
and  the  people  cried  to  Pharaoh  for  food,  Pharaoh  said 
to  all  Egypt, 

"  Go  to  Joseph,  and  do  as  he  tells  you." 

^^  Then  when  the  famine  was  all  over  the  country, 
Joseph  opened  all  that  there  was  among  them,  and  sold 
grain  to  Egypt.  The  famine  grew  severe  in  Egypt.  ^^ 
and  all  the  world  came  to  Joseph  in  Egypt  to  buy  grain, 
so  severe  was  the  famine  in  the  whole  world. 


42.  1  When  Jacob  saw  that  there  was  grain  in  Egypt, 
he  said  to  his  sons, 

''  Why  are  you  looking  at  each  other  ?  2  j^^  Egypt, 
now,"  he  went  on,  "  I  hear  there  is  grain.  Go  down 
there  and  buy  for  us  from  there ;  let  us  live  and  not  die." 

^  So  Joseph's  ten  brothers  went  down  to  buy  grain 
out  of  Egypt.  '*  But  Jacob  did  not  send  Joseph's  brother 
Benjamin  with  his  brothers,  for  he  thought, 

"  What  if  something  should  happen  to  him  ?  " 

5  So  the  sons  of  Israel  came  among  the  visitors  to  buy 
grain,  because  the  famine  was  in  Canaan ;  ^  and  since 


222       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

Joseph  was  governor  over  the  country  and  was  the  one 
who  sold  to  all  the  people  of  the  world,  his  brothers  came 
and  prostrated  themselves  before  him.  "^  When  Joseph 
saw  his  brothers  he  recognized  them ;  but  he  behaved 
like  a  stranger  to  them  and  spoke  to  them  harshly. 

"  Where  have  you  come  from?  "  he  said. 

"  From   Canaan,"  they  answered,  "  to  buy   food." 

^  Although  Joseph  recognized  his  brothers,  they  did 
not  recognize  him.  ^  Then  he  remembered  the  dreams 
that  he  had  had  about  them,  and  he  said  to  them, 

"  You  are  spies !  You  have  come  to  see  the  exposed 
condition  of  the  country." 

1^  "  No,  Your  Excellency,"  they  answered  him. 
*'  Your  servants  have  come  to  buy  food.  ^^  We  are  all 
sons  of  one  man.  We  are  honorable  men ;  your  servants 
are  no  spies." 

12  **  No,"  he  replied  to  them,  "  but  you  have  come  to 
see  the  exposed  condition  of  the  country." 

12  "  Your  servants  are  twelve  brothers,"  they  replied, 
"  and  the  sons  of  one  man  in  Canaan ;  and  the  youngest, 
now.  is  to-day  with  his  father;  the  other  one  has  disap- 
peared." 

1*  But  Joseph  said  to  them,  "  It  is  just  as  I  said  to 
you :  you  are  spies.  ^^  By  this  you  shall  be  tested.  You 
shall  not  go  away,  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh,  till  your  young- 
est brother  comes  here !  ^^  Send  one  of  you  and  let  him 
get  your  brother ;  and  you  meanwhile  shall  be  confined, 
so  that  your  story  may  be  tested,  to  see  whether  you  are 
telling  the  truth.  Otherwise,  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh, 
you  are  certainly  spies  !  " 

1*^  He  put  all  of  them  in  prison  together  for  three  days. 
1^  On  the  third  day  Joseph  said  to  them. 

"  Do  this,  and  you  shall  live ;  for  I  reverence  God.  ^^ 
If  you  are  honorable  men,  let  one  of  your  brothers  be 
confined  in  your  prison-house;   and  you  go,  and  take 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  223 

grain  for  your  destitute  households,  ^o  g^^  you  shall 
bring  your  youngest  brother  to  me.  Now  let  your  words 
be  made  good,  and  you  shall  not  die." 

So  they  4id ;  ^^  but  they  said  to  one  another, 
"  Truly  we  are  more  guilty  than  we  knew  about  our 
brother;  for  we  saw  his  deep  distress  when  he  pleaded 
with  us,  and  we  would  not  listen;  on  that  account  has 
this  distress  come  to  us." 

22  And  Reuben  answered  them, 

"  Did  I  not  say  to  you,  '  Do  not  fall  short  of  your  duty 
to  the  child,'  and  you  would  not  listen?  Now  see,  sat- 
isfaction is  exacted  for  his  murder." 

23  They  were  not  aware  that  Joseph  understood  them, 
for  there  had  been  an  interpreter  between  them.  ^4  g^^ 
he  turned  away  from  them,  and  wept.  Then  he  returned 
to  them  and  spoke  to  them,  took  Simeon  from  them,  and 
bound  him  before  their  eyes.  ^5  j^^  ^Xso  ordered  their 
sacks  filled  with  grain,  and  the  money  returned  into  each 
man's  pack,  and  food  given  them  for  the  journey.  This 
was  done  for  them. 

26  So  they  lifted  their  grain  upon  their  donkeys  and 
went  away.  But  at  the  place  where  they  stopped  for  the 
night,  2''  when  one  of  them  opened  his  pack  to  give  his 
donkey  some  fodder,  he  saw  his  money  there  in  the  mouth 
of  the  sack,  28  and  he  said  to  his  brothers, 

"  My  money  is  returned ;  here  it  is  in  my  sack !  " 

Then  their  courage  left  them,  and  they  trembled  tO' 
gether,  and  said, 

"  What  is  this  that  God  has  done  to  us  ?  " 

29  When  they  came  to  their  father  Jacob  in  Canaan, 
they  told  him  all  that  had  happened  to  them. 

3^  "  The  man  who  was  lord  of  the  country  spoke  to  us 


224      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

harshly,  and  arrested  us  as  spies  on  the  country,     ^i  ^^Q 

told  him, 

*  We  are  honorable  men ;  we  are  no  spies.  ^^  We 
are  twelve  brothers,  sons  of  one  father,  one  of  us 
having  disappeared,  and  the  youngest  being  to- 
day with  his  father  in  Canaan.' 

^^  Then  the  man  who  was  lord  of  the  country  said  to  us, 

'  In  this  way  I  shall  know  that  you  are  honorable 
men:  let  one  of  your  brothers  remain  with  me, 
take  enough  for  your  destitute  families,  and  go; 
24  and  bring  your  youngest  brother  to  me.  so  that 
I  may  know  that  you  are  not  spies  but  honorable 
men.  Then  I  will  give  you  your  brother,  and  you 
shall  trade  in  the  country.'  " 

> 

2^  At  this  point,  just  as  they  were  emptying  their  packs, 
there  in  each  man's  pack  was  his  bag  of  money !  When 
they  and  their  father  saw  their  bags  of  money,  they  were 
frightened.     ^^  Their  father  Jacob  said  to  them, 

"  You  have  bereaved  me  of  my  children.  Joseph  has 
disappeared,  and  Simeon  has  disappeared ;  and  now  you 
wish  to  take  Benjamin  away.     It  all  comes  on  me." 

2'^  But  Reuben  said  to  his  father,  "  You  may  take  the 
life  of  my  two  sons,  if  I  do  not  bring  him  back  to  you. 
Give  him  into  my  charge,  and  I  will  restore  him  to  you." 

2^  "  My  son  shall  not  go  down  with  you,"  he  replied ; 
"  for  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  is  left  alone.  If  any- 
thing should  happen  to  him  on  the  journey  that  you  take, 
you  would  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  in  sorrow  to  Sheol." 

43.  1  So  severe  was  the  famine  in  the  country,  ^  that 
it  came  about,  when  they  had  finished  eating  the  grain 
that  they  had  brought  from  Egypt,  that  their  father  said 
to  them. 

"  Return  and  buy  us  a  little  food." 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  225 

^  "  But  the  man  asserted  positively,"  said  Judah  to 
him,  *'  *  You  shall  not  enter  my  presence  unless  your 
brother  is  with  you.'  '*  If  you  are  g'oing  to  let  our 
brother  go  with  us,  we  will  go  down  and  buy  food  for 
you ;  ^  but  if  you  are  not  going  to  let  him  go,  we  will  not 
go  down.  For  the  man  said  to  us,  *  You  shall  not  enter 
my  presence  unless  your  brother  is  with  you.'  " 

^  '*  Why  did  you  do  me  so  wrong,"  Israel  replied,  "  as 
to  tell  the  man  whether  you  had  another  brother  ?  " 

■^  "  The  man  asked  us  question  after  question."  they  an- 
swered, "  about  ourselves  and  our  birthplace,  and  said, 
*  Is  your  father  still  living?  Have  you  a  brother?'  and 
we  gave  him  the  natural  answers  to  these  questions. 
How  could  we  dream  that  he  would  say,  '  Bring  your 
brother  down  '?  " 

^  Then  Judah  said  to  his  father  Israel, 

"  Send  the  boy  with  me,  and  let  us  set  out  at  once. 
Let  us  live  and  not  die,  us  as  well  as  you,  and  our 
women  and  children.  ^  I  will  be  security  for  him ;  you 
shall  exact  satisfaction  from  me.  If  I  do  not  bring  him 
to  you  and  put  him  in  his  place  before  you,  then  I  shall 
always  be  guilty  of  having  fallen  short  of  my  duty  to  you. 
1^  For  if  we  had  not  delayed,  we  should  certainly  have 
already  returned  the  second  time." 

11  Then  their  father  Israel  said  to  them, 

''  Well,  if  it  is  so,  do  this:  put  some  of  the  celebrated 
products  of  the  country  in  your  sacks,  and  take  down  to 
the  man  a  present, — a  little  balsam  and  a  little  honey, 
gum  tragacanth,  labdanum,  pistachio  nuts,  and  almonds ; 
12  and  take  with  you  the  same  amount  of  money,  and  carry 
also  the  money  that  was  returned  in  the  mouth  of  your 
sacks, — perhaps  that  was  a  mistake ;  ^^  and  take  your 
brother.  Now  set  out  and  return  to  the  man.  ^^  May 
El  Shaddai  stir  the  man's  sympathies  in  your  behalf,  and 
release  for  you  your  other  brother,  and  Benjamin,  seeing 
that  I  have  been  bereaved  as  I  have." 


226      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

1^  So  the  men  took  this  present,  and  took  the  same 
amount  of  money  with  them,  and  Benjamin;  and  set  out 
and  went  down  to  Egypt,  and  stood  before  Joseph.  ^^ 
When  Joseph  saw  Benjamin  with  them,  he  said  to  the 
man  in  charge  of  his  house, 

''  Bring  the  men  into  the  house,  and  kill  and  make 
ready ;  for  the  men  are  to  eat  with  me  at  noon." 

i*^  The  man  did  as  Joseph  said,  and  brought  the  men 
into  Joseph's  house. 

1^  But  they  were  afraid  when  they  were  brought  into 
Joseph's  house,  and  said, 

"It  is  on  account  of  the  money  that  was  put  back  into 
our  sacks  before,  that  we  are  being  brought  in, — in  order 
treacherously  to  attack  us,  and  take  us  as  slaves,  and 
our  donkeys." 

^9  So  they  approached  the  man  who  was  in  charge  of 
Joseph's  house,  and  spoke  to  him  at  the  door  of  the 
house. 

20  "  Q  Your  Excellency,"  they  said,  "  we  came  down 
before  to  buy  food,  ^^  and  afterwards,  when  we  came  to 
the  place  where  we  spent  the  night  and  opened  our  sacks, 
there  was  each  man's  money  in  the  mouth  of  his  sack, 
our  money  in  its  full  weight.  This  we  have  brought  with 
us,  22  and  we  have  brought  some  more  money  with  us 
to  buy  food.  Who  put  our  money  into  our  sacks  we 
do  not  know." 

23  ''  Compose  yourselves,"  he  said.  "  Do  not  be  afraid ; 
your  God,  the  God  of  your  father,  gave  you  some  secret 
treasure  in  your  sacks ;  for  your  money  did  come  to  me." 

Then  he  brought  Simeon  out  to  them,  24  and  taking 
them  into  the  house,  supplied  them  with  water  to  wash 
their  feet,  and  fodder  for  their  donkeys.  25  They  made 
the  present  ready  for  Joseph's  coming  at  noon,  for  they 
were   informed   that   they   were   to   dine    with   him.     26 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  227 

When  Joseph  entered  the  house,  they  brought  the  pres- 
ent, which  was  with  them,  to  him  in  the  house,  and  made 
him  a  very  low  bow.  ^"^  He  asked  how  they  were,  and 
said, 

"  Is  your  father  well, — ^the  old  man  that  you  spoke 
of?  is  he  still  living?  " 

2^  *'  Your  servant  our  father,"  they  answered,  "  is  well ; 
he  is  still  living." 

And  they  inclined  their  heads  and  bowed  to  him. 

29  When  he  looked  up  and  saw  his  brother  Benjamin, 
his  own  mother's  son,  he  said, 

"  Is  this  your  youngest  brother  that  you  told  me  of?" 

"  May  God  favor  you,  my  son,"  he  added. 

^^  Immediately  thereupon, — so  much  did  his  heart  go 
out  to  his  brother, — he  sought  a  place  to  weep,  and  went 
into  the  inner  room  and  wept  there.  ^^  Then  he  washed 
his  face  and  came  out^  repressing  his  emotion,  and  said, 

"  Serve  dinner." 

^2  They  served  for  him  by  himself,  and  for  the  Egyp- 
tians who  ate  with  him  by  themselves ;  for  the  Egyptians 
cannot  eat  with  the  Hebrews,  because  for  Egyptians  that 
is  tabooed.  ^^  They  were  seated  before  him,  the  eldest 
as  befitted  his  birthright,  and  the  youngest  as  befitted  his 
youth.  The  men  looked  at  him  with  wonder.  '*  He 
had  portions  from  before  himself  taken  to  them ;  Ben- 
jamin's portion,  however,  was  five  times  larger  than  any 
one  of  theirs.  So  they  drank  with  him,  indulging 
freely. 

44.  ^  Then  he  commanded  the  one  who  was  in  charge 
of  his  house  as  follows : 

"  Fill  the  sacks  of  the  men  with  as  much  provisions 
as  they  are  able  to  carry ;  and  put  each  man's  money  in 
the  mouth  of  his  sack ;  ^  put  my  goblet,  my  silver  goblet, 


228      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

in  the  mouth  of  the  youngest  one's  sack,  together  with 
the  money  for  his  grain." 

He  did  as  Joseph  told  him.  ^  When  it  was  Hght,  the 
men  were  dismissed,  with  their  donkeys.  '*  But  after 
they  had  departed,  while  they  were  not  yet  far  from  the 
town,  Joseph  told  the  one  who  was  in  charge  of  his 
house, 

"  Set  out  and  pursue  the  men.  When  you  have  over- 
taken them,  say  to  them. 

'* '  Why  have  you  repaid  good  with  evil  ?  ^  Is 
not  this  what  my  master  drinks  out  of,  besides 
divining  with  it?  You  have  done  wrong  in  what 
you  have  done.' 


>  jj 


^  He  overtook  them,  and  spoke  to  them  as  instructed. 
They  answered, 

'^  ''  Why  does  Your  Excellency  speak  in  this  way  ? 
That  your  servants  should  act  thus  is  unthinkable !  ^ 
Did  we  not  bring  the  money  that  we  found  in  the  mouth 
of  our  sacks  back  to  you  from  Canaan  ?  How  then  could 
we  steal  silver  or  gold  from  His  Excellency's  house?  ^ 
Whoever  of  your  servants  it  is  found  with,  let  him  die, 
and  we,  too,  will  become  slaves  to  His  Excellency." 

1^  "  As  you  say  now,"  he  replied,  "  so  let  it  be.  Who- 
ever it  is  found  with  shall  become  my  slave ;  but  you  shall 
be  innocent." 

^^  Quickly  each  man  put  down  his  sack  on  the  ground, 
and  each  opened  his  sack.  ^^  ^^  searched  carefully,  be- 
ginning with  the  oldest  and  ending  with  the  youngest. 
In  Benjamin's  sack  the  goblet  was  found.  ^^  Thereupon 
they  tore  their  clothing ;  and  each  man  loaded  his  donkey, 
and  they  returned  to  the  city. 

1^  So  Judah  and  his  brothers  came  to  Joseph's  house, 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  229 

where  he  still  was,  and  prostrated  themselves  before  him. 
^^  Joseph  said  to  them, 

"  What  deed  is  this  you  have  done  ?  Do  you  not  know 
that  such  a  man  as  I  can  divine?  " 

16  "  What  shall  we  tell  Your  Excellency  ?  "  answered 
Judah.  "  What  shall  we  say?  and  how  justify  ourselves, 
when  God  has  found  out  the  sin  of  your  servants?  Here 
we  are,  Your  Excellency's  slaves,  both  we  and  the  one  in 
whose  possession  the  goblet  was  found." 

1"^  '*  It  is  unthinkable  that  I  should  do  that,"  he  said. 
"  But  the  man  in  whose  possession  the  goblet  was  found 
shall  become  my  slave.  You,  however,  shall  go  safe  and 
sound  to  your  father." 

1^  Then  Judah  came  up  close  to  him  and  said, 
*'  O  Your  Excellency, — I  beg  that  you  will  permit  your 
servant  to  speak  a  word  in  Your  Excellency's  hearing. 
Do  not  be  irritated  with  your  servant,  for  you  are  the 
same  as  Pharaoh.  ^^  Your  Excellency  asked  his  serv- 
ants, 

'  Have  you  a  father  or  a  brother  ? ' 
2^  and  we  said  to  Your  Excellency, 

'  We  have  a  father,  who  is  an  old  man,  and  a 
child  of  his  old  age,  who  is  little.  He,  since  his 
brother  is  dead,  is  left  the  only  one  of  his  mother's 
to  his  father,  who  loves  him.' 

21  You  said  to  your  servants, 

'  Bring  him  down  to  me,  and  let  me  put  my  eyes 
on  him.' 

22  But  we  answered  Your  Excellency, 

*  The  boy  cannot  leave  his  father,  for  if  he  left 
his  father,  his  father  would  die.' 
23  *  Unless   your  youngest  brother  comes   down  with 
you,'  you  replied  to  your  servants,  *  you  shall  not  enter 
my  presence  again.' 


230      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

24  "  When  we  went  up  to  your  servant  our  father,  we 

told  him  what  Your  Excellency  had  said ;  ^^  and  when 

our  father  said, 

'  Go  back  again  and  buy  us  a  little  something  to 

eat,'  26  yjQ  replied, 

*  We  cannot  go  down.  If  our  youngest  brother 
goes  with  us,  we  will  go  down ;  but  we  cannot 
enter  the  man's  presence  unless  our  youngest 
brother  is  with  us.' 

27  Then  your  servant  our  father  said  to  us, 

'  Although  you  know  that  my  wife  bore  me  two 
sons,  28  and  that  one  left  me  and  I  said,  ''  He  has 
certainly  been  torn  to  pieces,"  and  that  I  have 
never  seen  him  again,  29  yet  you  want  to  take  this 
one  too  away  from  me.  Something  will  happen 
to  him,  and  you  will  bring  my  gray  hairs  in  trouble 
down  to  Sheol.' 

^^  "  Now,  when  I  go  to  your  servant  my  father,  the 
boy  not  with  us,  his  life  is  so  closely  knit  with  the  boy's 
life  ^^  that  it  will  turn  out  that,  when  he  sees  that  the 
boy  has  disappeared,  he  will  die;  and  your  servants  will 
bring  down  the  gray  hairs  of  your  servant  our  father  in 
sorrow  to  Sheol.  ^2  Besides,  your  servant  gave  security 
to  my  father  for  the  boy,  by  saying, 

'  If  I  do  not  bring  him  to  you,  then  I  shall  always 
be  guilty  of  having  fallen  short  of  my  duty  to  my 
father.' 

^^  "  And  now,  I  beg  you,  let  your  servant  stay,  in  place 
of  the  boy,  as  slave  to  Your  Excellency,  while  the  boy 
goes  up  with  his  brothers.  ^^  For  how  can  I  go  up  to 
my  father,  and  the  boy  not  with  me,  to  look  upon  the 
trouble  that  will  come  to  my  father  ?  " 

45.  1  Joseph  could  no  longer  repress  his  emotion  be- 
fore all  those  who  were  standing  by.     He  called  out, 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  231 

"  Have  everyone  go  out  from  my  presence." 
So  no  one  remained  with  him  while  Joseph  was  mak- 
ing himself  known  to  his  brothers.     ^  He  wept,  and  so 
loudly  that  both  the  Egyptians  and  Pharaoh's  household 
heard  it.     ^  Then  Joseph  said  to  his  brothers, 
"  I  am  Joseph.     Is  my  father  still  alive  ?  " 
But  his  brothers  could  give  him  no  answer;  for  they 
were  in  confusion  at  his  presence. 

*  Then  Joseph  said  to  his  brothers, 

"  Come  up  close  to  me,  will  you  not  ?  " 

They  came  up  close,  and  he  went  on, 

"  I  am  your  brother  Joseph  whom  you  sold  into  Egypt. 
^  But  do  not  be  distressed  now,  or  disturbed  in  spirit,  be- 
cause you  sold  me  into  this  country;  for  God  sent  me 
before  you  in  order  to  save  life.  ^  For  although  the 
famine  has  been  in  the  country  these  two  years,  there  are 
still  five  years  during  which  there  is  to  be  neither  plowing 
nor  reaping.  '^  God  sent  me  before  you  in  order  to  secure 
for  you  some  posterity  in  the  world,  and  to  save  your 
lives  by  a  great  deliverance.  ^  So  now  it  was  not  you 
who  sent  me  here,  but  God. 

"  He  has  appointed  me  to  be  prime  minister  to 
Pharaoh,  master  of  all  his  household,  and  ruler  over  the 
whole  of  Egypt.  ^  Make  haste  and  go  up  to  my  father, 
and  say  to  him, 

"  '  This  is  what  Joseph,  your  son,  says : 

"  *  "  God  has  appointed  me  to  be  master  over 
the  whole  of  Egypt.  Come  down  to  me  without 
delay.  ^^  You  shall  live  in  Goshen,  and  be  near 
me,  together  with  your  children  and  grandchil- 
dren, sheep,  goats,  cattle,  and  all  that  you  have. 
11  There  I  will  supply  you, — for  there  are  still  five 
years  of  famine, — so  that  you  may  not  be  reduced 


232      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

to  poverty,  along  with  your  family  and  all  who 
are  yours."  * 

12  "  Look  now ;  you  see  with  your  own  eyes,  and  so 
does  my  brother  Benjamin,  that  it  is  I  who  am  speaking 
to  you.  12  You  shall  tell  my  father  about  all  my  honor 
in  Egypt  and  about  all  you  have  seen ;  and  you  shall 
make  haste  to  bring  my  father  down  here." 

1"*  Then  he  threw  his  arms  about  his  brother  Benjamin's 
neck  and  wept,  and  Benjamin  wept  with  his  arms  about 
Joseph's  neck.  ^^  He  kissed  all  his  brothers  and  wept 
with  his  arms  about  them;  and  then  his  brothers  talked 
with  him. 

1^  When  the  report  was  heard  in  Pharaoh's  house, 
"  Joseph's   brothers  have   come," 
it  pleased  Pharaoh  and  his  servants,  ^"^  and  Pharaoh  said 
to  Joseph, 

"  Tell  your  brothers : 

"  '  Do  as  follows :  Load  your  animals,  go  at 
once  to  Canaan,  ^^  get  your  father  and  your 
families,  and  come  to  me ;  and  let  me  give  you  of 
the  best  of  Egypt,  so  that  you  may  live  on  the 
fat  of  the  land.' 

1^  You  are  to  command  them  also: 

"  '  Do  as  follows :  Take  wagons  from  Egypt  for 
your  children  and  your  wives,  so  that  you  may 
convey  your  father,  and  come, — ^o  without  being 
concerned  about  your  things,  because  the  best  of 
all  Egypt  is  yours.'  " 

21  So  Israel's  sons  did.  Joseph  gave  them  wagons  as 
Pharaoh  had  personally  directed,  and  food  for  the  road. 
22  To  each  of  them  he  gave  a  suit  of  clothing,  but  to 
Benjamin  one  hundred  and  eighty  ounces  of  silver  and 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  233 

five  suits  of  clothing.  ^3  Similarly,  to  his  father  he  sent 
ten  camels  carrying  some  of  the  best  things  of  Egypt,  and 
ten  she-donkeys  carrying  grain,  food,  and  provisions  to 
his  father  for  the  road.  ^4  Sq  \^q  dismissed  his  brothers, 
and  they  departed. 

"  Do  not  be  troubled,"  he  told  them,  "  on  the  road." 

25  When  they  came  up  from  Egypt  and  reached  their 
father  Jacob  in  Canaan,  ^6  and  told  him, 

"  Joseph  is  still  living,  and  is  indeed  also  ruler  over 
the  whole  of  Egypt," 

his  heart  stood  still,  and  he  would  not  believe  them. 
^^  But  when  they  told  him  all  of  Joseph's  message  that 
he  had  given  them,  and  when  he  saw  the  wagons  that 
Joseph  had  sent  to  convey  him,  the  spirits  of  their  father 
Jacob  revived.     ^^  Then  Israel  said, 

"  Enough !  my  son  Joseph  is  still  alive !     Let  me  go 
and  see  him  before  I  die." 


46.  1  So  Israel  started  to  travel  with  all  that  he  had. 
He  came  to  Beer-Sheba,  and  made  sacrifices  to  the  God 
of  his  father  Isaac.  2  Then  God  spoke  to  Israel  in  ap- 
pearances at  night. 

"  Jacob,  Jacob !  "  he  said. 

"  Here  I  am,"  he  answered. 

2  "  I  am  God,"  he  continued ;  "  the  God  of  your  father. 
Do  not  be  afraid  to  go  down  to  Egypt ;  for  there  I  will 
make  you  into  a  great  nation.  *  Not  only  will  I  myself 
go  down  to  Egypt  with  you,  but  I  myself  will  also  bring 
you  up.  Joseph,  too,  shall  close  your  eyes  with  his  own 
hand." 

5  Then  Jacob  set  out  from  Beer-Sheba ;  and  Israel's 
sons  conveyed  their  father  Jacob,  their  children,  and  their 
wives  in  the  wagons  that  Pharaoh  had  sent  to  convey 


234      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

him.  ^  They  took  their  live  stock  and  their  property 
that  they  had  come  into  possession  of  in  Canaan,  and 
went  to  Egypt,  Jacob  and  all  his  offspring  with  him.  '^ 
His  sons  and  grandsons,  his  daughters  and  grand- 
daughters, and  all  his  offspring,  he  took  with  him  to 
Egypt. 

^  These  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Israel  that  went  to 
Egypt,  of  Jacob  and  his  sons.  Jacob's  eldest  was 
Reuben. 

9  The  sons  of  Reuben:     Enoch,  Pallu,  Hesron,  and 

Karmi. 
1^  The  sons  of  Simeon :     Jemuel,  Jamin,  Ohad,  Jakin, 
Sohar,  and  Saul,  the  son  of  a  Canaanite  woman. 

11  The     sons    of    Levi :     Gershon,   and    Kohath   and 

Merari. 

12  The  sons  of  Judah :     Er,  Onan,  Shelah,  Peres,  and 

Zerah.     But  Er  and  Onan  died  in  Canaan.     The 
sons  of  Peres  were  Hesron  and  Hamul. 

13  The    sons    of    Issachar:     Tola,    Puvvah,   Job,    and 

Shimron. 
1^  The  sons  of  Zebulun:     Sered,  Elon,  and  Jahleel. 
1^  These  are  the  sons  of  Leah  that  she  bore  Jacob  In 
Paddan-Aram,   together   with   his   daughter   Dinah,   the 
whole  number  of  persons,  his  sons  and  daughters,  being 
thirty-three. 

16  The  sons  of  Gad:     Siphion  and  Haggi,  Shuni  and 

Esbon,  and  Eri,  Arodi,  and  Areli. 

1'^  The    sons   of    Asher :    Imnah,    Ishvah,    Ishvi,   and 

Beriah,  with  their  sister  Serah ;  and  the  sons  of 

Beriah:     Heber  and   Malkiel. 

1^  These  are  the  sons  of  Zilpah  whom  Laban  gave  his 

daughter  Leah ;  these  she  bore  to  Jacob,  sixteen  persons. 

1^  The  sons  of  Jacob's  wife  Rachel :    Joseph  and  Ben- 
jamin. 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  235 

20  To  Joseph  in  Egypt  there  were  borne,  by  Asenath,  the 
daughter  of  Poti-Pherah,  the  Priest  of  On,  Manasseh 
and  Ephraim. 

21  The  sons  of  Benjamin :     Bela,  Beker,  and  Ashbel, 

Gera  and  Naaman,  Eli  and  Rosh,  Muppim,  Hup- 
pim.  and  Ard. 

22  These  are  the  sons  of  Rachel  that  were  born  to 
Jacob,  in  all  fourteen  persons. 

23  The  sons  of  Dan :     Hushim. 

24  The  sons  of  Naphtali :     Jahseel,  Guni,  Jeser,  and 

Shillem. 
25  These  are  the  sons  of  Bilhah  whom  Laban  gave  his 
daughter  Rachel;  these  she  bore  to  Jacob,  in  all  seven 
persons. 

2^  All  the  persons  belonging  to  Jacob  who  came  to 
Eg^^pt,  that  is,  all  the  persons  who  came  of  his  body, 
were  sixty-six,  27  and  the  sons  of  Joseph  that  were  born 
to  him  in  Egypt,  two  persons ;  so  all  the  persons  belong- 
ing to  Jacob's  house  that  came  to  Egypt  were  seventy. 

28  Before  him  he  sent  Judah  to  Joseph,  so  that  he 
might  guide  him  to  Goshen.  They  came  to  Goshen.  29 
Then  Joseph  harnessed  his  chariot  and  went  up  to  meet 
his  father  in  Goshen.  When  he  entered  his  presence,  he 
[his  father]  threw  his  arms  around  his  neck  and  wept 
again  and  again,  with  his  arms  around  him.  ^^  Israel 
said  to  Joseph, 

"  Now  let  me  die,  since  I  have  seen  your  face,  for  you 
are  still  alive." 

21  Then  Joseph  said  to  his  brothers  and  his  father's 
family, 

"  Let  me  go  up  and  tell  Pharaoh,  and  say  to  him, 
"  *  My  brothers  and  my  father's  family  who  were 


236      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

in   Canaan  have  come   to   me.     ^^   The   men   are 
shepherds  and  stock  raisers,  and  they  have  brought 
their  sheep,  goats,  and  cattle,  and  all  that  belong 
to  them.' 
^^  ''  Now  when   Pharaoh  summons  you,  and  says, 
'*  *  What  are  your  occupations  ?  ' 

24  you  shall  say, 

*' '  Stock  raisers  your  servants  have  been  from  our 
childhood  up  till  now,  both  we  and  our  ancestors.' 

so  that  you  may  live  in  Goshen;  for  all  shepherds  are 

tabooed  by  the  Egyptians." 


47.     1  So  Joseph  came  and  told  Pharaoh,  and  said, 

"  My  father  and  brothers,  with  their  sheep,  goats,  and 
cattle,  and  all  that  belongs  to  them,  have  come  from 
Canaan,  and  here  they  are  in  Goshen." 

2  Out  of  all  his  brethren  he  took  five  men,  and  intro- 
duced them  into  Pharaoh's  presence.  ^  Pharaoh  said 
to  his  brothers, 

**  What  are  your   occupations?" 

''  Your  servants  are  shepherds,"  they  answered,  *'  both 
we  and  our  ancestors." 

4  '*  We  have  come,"  they  continued,  "  to  live  as  aliens 
in  the  country,  because  there  is  no  pasturage  for  the  flock 
that  your  servants  have,  so  severe  is  the  famine  in 
Canaan.  Will  you  not,  therefore,  permit  your  servants 
to  live  in  Goshen?  " 

^  "  Your  father  and  brothers  have  come  to  you,"  said 
Pharaoh  to  Joseph.  ^  *'  Egypt  is  before  you.  Have  your 
father  and  brother  to  live  in  the  best  part  of  the  coun- 
try. Let  them  live  in  Goshen.  And  if  you  know  of  any 
competent  men  among  them,  place  them  as  head  stock 
raisers  over  what  belongs  to  me." 

"^  Joseph  also  brought  in  his   father  Jacob,  and  pre- 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  237 

sented  him  to  Pharaoh.  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh.  ^  Then 
Pharaoh  said  to  Jacob, 

"  How  long  have  you  lived  ?  " 

^  "  The  length  of  my  wanderings."  Jacob  answered 
Pharaoh,  "  is  one  hundred  and  thirty  years.  Short  and 
evil  has  my  life  been ;  it  has  not  lasted  so  long  as  the 
lives  of  my  ancestors  in  their  wanderings." 

1^  Then  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh,  and  went  out  from  his 
presence. 

1^  So  Joseph  had  his  father  and  his  brothers  to  remain, 
and  gave  them  landed  property  in  Egypt,  in  the  best  part 
of  the  country,  in  the  district  of  Rameses,  as  Pharaoh  had 
commanded.  ^^  He  also  supplied  his  father  and  his 
brothers,  and  all  his  father's  family,  with  enough  food 
for  their  women  and  children. 


^2  Since  there  was  no  food  in  the  country,  so  severe 
was  the  famine,  both  Egypt  and  Canaan  succumbed  under 
the  famine.  ^^  So  Joseph  gathered  in  all  the  money  to 
be  found  both  in  Egypt  and  Canaan,  in  payment  for  the 
grain  which  they  bought ;  and  he  brought  the  money  into 
Pharaoh's  house. 

15  When  all  the  money  in  Egypt  and  Canaan  was  spent, 
all  the  Egyptians  came  to  Joseph  and  said, 

"  Will  you  not  consent  to  give  us  food  ?  Why  should 
we  die  before  your  eyes  because  there  is  no  money?  " 

16  ''  Will  you  consent,"  Joseph  answered,  "  to  give 
your  live  stock,  and  let  me  give  it  to  you  in  payment  for 
your  live  stock,  if  there  is  no  money?  " 

1*^  So  their  live  stock  was  brought  to  Joseph,  and 
Joseph  gave  them  food  in  payment  for  their  horses,  their 
live  stock, — sheep,  goats,  and  cattle, — and  their  donkeys, 


238      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

and  he  supplied  them  that  year  in  payment  for  all  their 
live  stock. 


1^  When  that  year  was  over,  they  came  to  him  the 
next  year  and  said  to  him, 

"  We  will  not  conceal  from  Your  Excellency  the  fact 
that,  since  all  our  money  is  spent,  and  our  property  in 
live  stock  belongs  to  Your  Excellency,  there  is  nothing 
left  for  Your  Excellency  except  our  bodies  and  our  land. 
19  Why  should  we  die  out  before  your  eyes,  along  with 
our  land?  Buy  us  and  our  land  with  food,  and  let  us 
and  our  land  be  enslaved  to  Pharaoh.  Give  us  seed. 
Let  us  live  and  not  die,  and  let  not  our  lands  become  de- 
populated." 

20  So  Joseph  bought  all  the  land  in  Egypt  for  Pharaoh. 
The  Egyptians  sold  each  one  his  field,  because  the  famine 
was  crushing  them,  ^i  xhe  people  he  removed  to  the 
towns  from  one  end  of  the  territory  of  Egypt  to  the 
other.  22  Only  the  land  of  the  priests  he  did  not  buy,  be- 
cause the  priests  had  an  allowance  from  Pharaoh,  and 
lived  on  the  allowance  that  Pharaoh  gave  them;  hence 
they  did  not  sell  their  land. 

2^  So  Joseph  said  to  the  people, 

"  See,  I  have  bought  you  to-day  and  your  land  for 
Pharaoh.  Here  is  seed  for  you,  so  that  you  may  sow  the 
land.  24  Now  at  harvest  you  shall  give  one-fifth  to 
Pharaoh,  and  four-fifths  shall  be  yours  for  seed  for  the 
field,  and  for  a  supply  of  food  for  yourselves,  those  who 
are  of  your  households,  and  your  women  and  children 
to  eat." 

25  "  You  have  saved  our  lives."  they  replied.  "  Let  us 
be  regarded  with  favor  by  Your  Excellency,  and  we  will 
be  slaves  to  Pharaoh." 

2^  So  Joseph  established  the  law  which  prevails  down 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  239 

to  the  present  day  regarding  the  land  In  Egypt, — that 
one-fifth  should  be  Pharaoh's;  except  that  the  priests' 
land  alone  did  not  become  Pharaoh's. 


2"^  Israel  lived  in  Egypt,  in  Goshen ;  and  they  ac- 
quired property  there,  and  were  fruitful  and  multiplied 
greatly.  ^8  Jacob  lived  in  Egypt  seventeen  years ;  so 
that  Jacob's  life  lasted  in  all  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
years. 

29  When  the  time  approached  for  Israel  to  die,  he  sum- 
moned Joseph  his  son,  and  said  to  him, 

'*  If  now  I  have  your  favor,  place  your  hand,  if  you 
please,  under  my  thigh,  and  promise  that  you  will  treat 
me  with  kindness  and  truth.  Do  not  bury  me,  I  beg 
you,  in  Egypt.  ^^  But  when  I  He  down  with  my  an- 
cestors, you  shall  carry  me  out  of  Egypt  and  bury  me  in 
their  burying-place." 

"  I  will  do  as  you  have  said,"  he  answered. 

^1  ''  Swear  to  me,"  he  said. 

So  he  swore  to  him,  and  Israel  bowed,  leaning  upon 
the  top  of  his  staff. 

48.     1  Some  time  after  news  came  to  Joseph, 

"  Your  father  is  sick." 

He  took  with  him  Manasseh  and  Ephraim,  his  two 
sons.     2  When  the  news  came  to  Jacob, 

"  Here  comes  Joseph,  your  son,  to  see  you," 
Israel  rallied  his  strength  and  sat  up  in  bed. 

^  Then  Jacob  said  to  Joseph, 

"  When  El  Shaddai  appeared  to  me  at  Luz  in  Canaan 
and  blessed  me,  ^  he  said  to  me, 

"  '  I  am  going  to  make  you  fruitful,  increase  you, 


240       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

and  make  you  into  a  confederation  of  nations,  and 
I  will  give  this  country  to  your  offspring  after 
you,  to  hold  in  perpetuity.' 
^  Now  your  two  sons  who  were  born  to  you  in  Egypt 
before  I  came  to  you  in  Egypt  are  mine ;  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh  shall  be  mine  just  like  Reuben  and  Simeon.  ^ 
But  the  issue  that  you  have  had  since  shall  be  yours,  and 
their  inheritance  shall  be  in  the  name  of  their  brothers. 

"^  ''  Now  I — when  my  Rachel  died  in  Canaan  on  the 
road  some  distance  before  one  comes  to  Ephrath,  when 
I  was  coming  from  Paddan.  I  buried  her  there  by  the 
road  to  Ephrath," — that  is,  Bethlehem. 

^  When  Israel  saw  Joseph's  sons,  he  asked, 

''  Who  are  these?  " 

9  "  These  are  my  sons,"  Joseph  answered  his  father, 
"  whom  God  has  given  me  here." 

"  Bring  them  to  me,  if  you  please,"  he  said,  "  and  let 
me  bless  them." 

1^  The  eyes  of  Israel  were  so  dim  with  age  that  he 
could  not  see.  But  when  he  brought  them  up,  he  kissed 
them  and  embraced  them.     Then  Israel  said  to  Joseph, 

^1  "  I  did  not  think  that  I  should  see  your  face,  and 
now  God  has  permitted  me  to  see  even  your  offspring." 

12  When  Joseph  had  taken  them  off  his  lap  and  had 
prostrated  himself,  ^^  he  took  them  both,  Ephraim  by  his 
right  hand  toward  Israel's  left,  and  Manasseh  by  his 
left  toward  Israel's  right,  and  so  brought  them  to  him. 
1^  But  Israel  reached  out  his  right  hand  and  laid  it  on 
the  head  of  Ephraim,  who  was  younger,  and  his  left 
on  the  head  of  Manasseh ;  directing  his  hands  purposely, 
although  Manasseh  was  the  elder.  ^^  Then  he  blessed 
Joseph,  and  said, 

"  The  God  before  whom  my  ancestors  Abraham  and 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  241 

Isaac  lived  their  lives,  the  God  who  has  shepherded 
me  ever  since  I  was  born  down  to  this  day,  ^^  the  Mes- 
senger who  like  a  kinsman  has  redeemed  me  from  all 
harm,  bless  the  boys.  Let  my  name  be  perpetuated  in 
them,  and  the  names  of  my  ancestors  Abraham  and  Isaac ; 
and  let  them  grow  into  a  multitude  within  the  country." 

1*^  When  Joseph  saw  that  his  father  had  laid  his  right 
hand  on  Ephraim's  head,  he  did  not  like  it,  and  took 
hold  of  his  father's  hand  to  remove  it  from  Ephraim's 
head  to  the  head  of  Manasseh,  ^^  saying  to  his  father, 

"  No,  no,  my  father.  This  is  the  elder ;  put  your  right 
hand  on  his  head." 

1^  But  his  father  refused  and  said, 

"  I  know,  my  son,  I  know.  He  too  shall  both  become 
a  people  and  shall  be  great ;  but  his  younger  brother  shall 
be  greater  than  he,  and  his  offspring  shall  become  popu- 
lous nations." 

20  So  he  blessed  them  that  day,  and  said, 

"  Israel  shall  use  your  name  when  they  bless,  speaking 

in  this  way, 

"  '  May  God  make  you  like  Ephraim  and  Man- 
asseh,' " 

thus  putting  Ephraim  before  Manasseh. 

21  To  Joseph  Israel  said  also, 

"  See,  I  am  about  to  die.  God  will  be  with  you  all, 
and  will  restore  you  to  the  country  of  your  fathers.  22  j 
myself  give  you,  Joseph,  one  hillside  more  than  your 
brothers,  which  I  took  from  the  Amorites  with  my  sword 
and  my  bow." 


49.    1  Then  Jacob  summoned  his  sons,  with  the  words, 
2  "  Gather   yourselves   together,   and   let   me  tell   you 
what  will  happen  to  you  in  the  future: 


242      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

"  Assemble  and  hear,  ye  sons  of  Jacob, 
And  listen  to  Israel  your  father. 

2  *'  Reuben ! — thou  who  art  my  eldest,— 
My  strength,  and  the  firstfruit  of  my  manhood, — 
Pre-eminent     in     dignity,     and     pre-eminent     in 
power, — 
— *   Breaking  over   like   water,   thou  shalt  not 

be  pre-eminent! 
Because  thou  didst  approach  thy  father's  bed; 
Then  thou   didst   pollute! — he   approached  my 
marriage-bed ! 

^  "  Simeon  and  Levi ! — brothers ! 
Weapons  of  outrage  their  plots ! 

^  Into  their  secret  council  come  not,  my  life; 

In  their  assembly  join  not,  my  soul. 
For  in  their  anger  they  murdered  men; 
And  in  their  self-will  they  hamstrung  oxen. 

'^  Cursed  is  their  anger,  for  it  was  fierce; 

And  their  rage,  for  it  was  cruel. 
Let  me  dissever  them  in  Jacob, 
And  scatter  them  in  Israel. 

^  "  Judah  ! — thou  whom  thy  brothers  shall  praise ! 
With  thy  hand  on  the  neck  of  thy  enemies. 
And  thy  father's  sons  bowing  down  to  thee! 
^  Judah  ! — a  lion's  cub ! 

Home  from  the  prey,  my  son,  thou  hast  come, — 
He  is  crouched,  he  is  couched,  like  a  lion, 
— Like  a  young  lion ;  who  dare  arouse  him  ? 
1^  From  Judah  departeth  not  the  scepter. 
Nor  the  ruler's  staff  from  between  his  feet. 
Till  he  Cometh  into  his  own. 
And  the  peoples  yield  him  obedience; 
— ^^  Binding  his  young  ass  to  the  vine, 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  243 

And  his  ass's  colt  to  the  red-grape  vine. 
He  hath  washed  his  clothing  in  wine, 
His  attire  in  the  blood  of  the  grapes. 
^^  His  eyes  are  darkened  with  wine, 
And  his  teeth  are  white  with  milk. 

13  "  Zebulun ! — he  dwelleth  at  the  shore  of  the  sea, 
A  shore  for  ships,  with  his  flank  upon  Sidon. 

1*  "  Issachar ! — a  stout  ass  ! 
Couching  between  the  sheepfolds. 

^^  He  hath  seen  how  good  is  a  resting-place, 

And  how  pleasant  is  the  land ; 

So  he  hath  yielded  his  back  to  the  burden, 

And  doeth  the  tasks  of  a  thrall. 

1^  "Dan! — his  people's  champion! 
Like  one  of  the  scepters  of  Israel. 

^^  Dan ! — a  snake  in  the  road,  may  I  say, — 

A  horned  snake  in  the  path; 

That  biteth  the  horse's  heels, — 

And  its  rider  hath  fallen  backward. 

1^  "  For  thy  deliverance  I  am  waiting,  O  Jehovah ! 

19  "  Gad ! — now  the  bandits  are  pressing  him, — 
Now  he  presseth  at  their  heels! 

20  "  Asher  !— his  food  is  fat ! 
He  yieldeth  royal  dainties. 

21  "  Naphtali !— a  hind  let  loose  ! 
And  a  speaker  of  beautiful  words ! 

22  "  A  young  fruit-tree  is  Joseph ! 
A  young  fruit-tree  by  a  fountain ! 


244       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

With    daughter-shoots    Hning  the   wall. 

^^  They  abused  him  bitterly,  they  shot  at  him, 

They  hated  him,  did  the  masters  of  arrows ; 

^*  But  his  bow  abode  in  strength ; 

His  arms  and  hands  were  agile. 
From  the  hands  of  the  Sovereign  of  Jacob, 
— From  thence!  came  the  shepherd  and  stone  of 
Israel. 

25  From   the   God   of   thy   father, — let   him  help 

thee  !— 
And  through  Shaddai's  aid, — let  him  bless  thee! — 
Come  the  blessings  of  the  heavens  above ! 
Come  the  blessings  of  the  deep  that  coucheth 

beneath ! 
Come  the  blessings  of  the  breasts  and  the  womb  ! 

26  Thy  father's  blessings,  which  prevail  beyond  the 

blessings  of  my  sires. 
As  far  as  to  the  wealth  of  the  everlasting  hills, — 
Let  those  be  upon  the  head  of  Joseph, — 
Upon  the   crown   of  his  head  that  was  separate 

from  his  brothers. 

27  "Benjamin! — a   wolf   that    preyeth! 
Eating  the  prey  in  the  morning. 

And  dividing  the  spoil  in  the  evening." 

28  All  these  are  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  and  this 
is  how  their  father  spoke  to  them  and  blessed  them ;  each 
one  he  blessed  with  his  special  blessing. 

29  He  commanded  them  also  as  follows: 

"  I  am  about  to  join  my  people.  Bury  me  with  my 
ancestors  in  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of  Ephron  the 
Hittite, — ^^  in  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of  Machpelah, 
which  is  in  front  of  Mamre  in  Canaan, — the  field  that 
Abraham  bought  from  Ephron  the  Hittite  to  possess  as  a 


SECTION    12    (37.2-50.26)  245 

burial-ground,  ^i  There  they  buried  Abraham  and  his 
wife  Sarah  ;  there  they  buried  Isaac  and  his  wife  Re- 
bekah ;  and  there  I  buried  Leah.  ^^  The  field  and  the 
cave  that  is  in  it  were  purchased  from  the  Heth  Kin." 

33  When  Jacob  had  finished  his  instructions  to  his 
son$.  he  drew  his  feet  into  the  bed ;  and  breathing  his  last, 
he  joined  his  people. 


50.  ^  Thereupon  Joseph  fell  on  his  father's  face, 
wept  over  him,  and  kissed  him..  ^  Then  he  directed  the 
physicians  among  his  servants  to  embalm  his  father.  So 
the  physicians  embalmed  Israel.  ^  They  took  all  of  forty 
days  for  him ;  for  so  many  days  does  it  take  to  embalm. 
Seventy  days  the  Egyptians  mourned  for  him. 

^  When  the  period  of  mourning  for  him  was  over, 
Joseph  spoke  to  the  household  of  Pharaoh,  and  said, 

"  If  now  I  have  your  favor,  speak  to  Pharaoh  person- 
ally, I  beg  of  you,  and  say, 

^  *'  *  My  father  made  me  swear  to  this : 

"  '  "  See,  I  am  about  to  die ;  in  the  grave  that 
I  dug  for  myself  in  Canaan,  there  you  shall  bury 
me." 

"  '  Now,  I  beg  of  you,  let  me  go  up  and  bury  my 
father  and  return.'  " 
^  "  Go  up,"  said  Pharaoh,  "  and  bury  your  father  as 
he  made  you  swear  to  do." 

"^  So  Joseph  went  up  to  bury  his  father.  With  him 
went  up  all  Pharaoh's  officers,  the  dignitaries  of  his 
household,  all  the  dignitaries  of  Egypt,  ^  all  the  family  of 
Joseph,  his  brothers,  and  his  father's  family ;  only  their 
women  and  children,  their  sheep,  their  goats,  and  their 
cattle  they  left  in  Goshen.     ^  With  him  also  went  up 


246      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

chariots  and  cavalry;  the  camp  was  extremely  imposing. 
^0  When  they  reached  the  Threshing-floor  of  Atad,  which 
is  across  the  Jordan,  they  made  a  very  great  and  sorrow- 
ful wailing,  and  he  made  a  seven-days'  mourning  for  his 
father.  ^^  When  the  Canaanite  inhabitants  of  the  country 
observed  the  mourning  in  the  Threshing-floor  of  Atad, 
they  said, 

*'  This  is  a  sorrowful  mourning  that  the  Egyptians 
are  making." 

From  that  it  was  named  Abel-Misraim  [The-Mourn- 
ing-of- the- Egyptians],  which  is  across  the  Jordan. 

12  His  sons  did  for  him  as  he  had  instructed  them. 
12  They  took  him  up  to  Canaan  and  buried  him  in  the 
cave  in  the  field  of  Machpelah,  the  field  that  Abraham 
bought  to  possess  as  a  burial-place  from  Ephron  the 
Hittite  in  front  of  Mamre.  After  he  had  buried  his 
father,  ^^  Joseph  returned  to  Egypt,  together  with  his 
brothers  and  all  who  had  gone  up  with  him  to  bury  his 
father. 


15  When  Joseph's  brothers  considered  that  their  father 
was  dead,  they  said, 

"  What  if  Joseph  hates  us  and  repays  us  all  the  harm 
that  we  did  to  him  ?  " 

1^  So  they  sent  to  him  and  said, 
"  Your  father  made  this  command  before  his  death : 
1"^  '  You  shall  say  this  to  Joseph : 

"  Most  earnestly   I   beg  that  you   will   forgive 
your  brothers  their  wrong  to  you  and  their  failure 
of  duty,  although  they  did  you  harm."  ' 
"  Now  forgive,  we  beg  you,  the  wrong  done  by  the 
servants  of  your  father's  God." 

Joseph  wept   when   they   spoke   to   him.     i^    But   his 
brothers  came  also  and  prostrated  themselves,  and  said, 


NOTES   TO   SECTION    12  247 

"  Here  we  are,  your  slaves." 

^9  "  Do  not  be  afraid,"  Joseph  said  to  them.  "  Am  I  in 
the  place  of  God  ?  ^o  You  intended  to  do  me  harm ;  but 
God  intended  it  as  good,  to  result,  as  it  has  done  to-day, 
in  saving"  a  numerous  people.  ^^  Now  do  not  be  afraid, 
for  I  will  supply  you  and  your  women  and  children." 

Thus  he  consoled  them  with  words  of  affection. 

22  Joseph  remained  in  Egypt,  together  with  his  father's 
family.  Joseph  lived  one  hundred  and  ten  years.  ^3  He 
saw  Ephraim's  great-grandchildren ;  and  children  of 
Machir,  Manasseh's  son,  were  also  born  to  sit  on 
Joseph's  knee.     ^4  Xhen  Joseph  said  to  his  brothers, 

"  I  am  about  to  die.  But  God  will  visit  you,  and  will 
take  you  up  from  this  country  to  the  country  that  he 
swore  to  give  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob." 

25  Joseph  also  made  the  Israelite  Kin  swear  to  this : 

"  When  God  visits  you,  you  shall  carry  up  my  bones 
from  here." 

2^  So  Joseph  died,  one  hundred  and  ten  years  old. 
They  embalmed  him,  and  placed  him  in  a  coffin  in  Egypt. 


NOTES   TO    SECTION    12 

Text. 37.3,    A    COAT    LIKE    THAT    OF    A    PRINCE.       The 

A.  V.  "  coat  of  many  colors  "  is  incorrect ;  the  probable 
meaning  is  a  garment  that  had  long  sleeves  and  reached 
down  to  the  ankles ;  and  what  is  certainly  intended  is 
such  a  dress  as  was  appropriate  to  men  of  higher  social 
and  political  rank,  and  a  costume  which  would  seem  to 
the  brothers  to  mark  Joseph  out  as  the  intended  heir  to 
their  father's  authority.     37.28,  But  there  passed  by 

SOME    MiDIANITE    MERCHANTS,    AND    PULLED    JoSEPH    UP 


248      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

.       .       .       AND  SOLD  HIM  TO  THE  ISHMAELITES.       The  A.  V. 

"  Then  there  passed  by  some  Midianites,  merchantmen ; 
and  they  drew  and  Hfted  Joseph,  etc.,"  supports  by  its 
punctuation  the  current  theory  that  the  pronoun  "  they  " 
has  its  antecedent  in  the  brothers,  not  the  Midianites, 
and  that  it  was  accordingly  the  brothers  who  sold  Joseph 
with  their  own  hands  to  the  Ishmaelites.  There  are  four 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  interpretation,  besides  the 
less  natural  grammatical  reference.  These  may  be 
briefly  stated  as  follows,  i.  Why  should  the  Midianites 
be  mentioned  at  all,  if  they  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
transaction?  and  if,  as  some  have  thought,  Midianites 
is  merely  another  name  for  Ishmaelites,  then  why  such  a 
shifting  of  names?  2.  Why  was  Reuben  ignorant  of  the 
selling?  if  absent,  as  some  have  supposed,  while  it  was 
being  perpetrated,  then  how  explain  that  no  mention  is 
made  of  his  departure,  although  he  was  present  in  verse 
22?  3.  How  explain  Joseph's  telling  an  untruth  in 
40.15,  in  asserting  that  he  had  been  stolen,  instead  of 
sold,  out  of  the  country  of  the  Hebrews?  4.  Can  Judah, 
in  44.20,  in  the  midst  of  a  plea  which  has,  if  ever  speech 
had,  the  ring  of  sincerity  and  genuineness,  be  speaking 
what  he  did  not  himself  believe,  in  saying  that  his 
brother  is  dead?  and  how  could  he  believe  that  he  was 
dead  if  he  himself  had  helped  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites? 
Attempts  have  been  made  to  explain  each  of  these  diffi- 
culties, but  together  they  present  a  trouble  which  has  led 
many  students  to  take  refuge  in  theories  of  a  patchwork 
combination  of  two  discordant  stories  from  different 
sources.  The  other  interpretation,  which  has  been 
adopted  in  making  the  present  translation,  namely,  that 
the  brothers,  although  they  had  planned  (37.26,  27)  and 
intended  to  sell  Joseph  to  the  Ishmaelites  whose  caravan 
they  saw  in  the  distance,  and  were  thus  morally  guilty, 
did  not  actually  sell  him ;  but  that  some  Midianites,  per- 
haps roving  slave-catchers,  kidnapped  him  from  the  pit 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    12  249 

in  their  absence,  and  sold  him  to  the  Ishmaelites  without 
their  knowledge  of  what  had  become  of  him ;  and  that 
when  they  returned  from  their  meal  (37.25),  and  discov- 
ered his  disappearance,  they  really  came  to  believe  that 
he  had  been  carried  off  by  some  wild  beast,  so  that  the 
message  (37.32)  that  they  sent  to  their  father  was  a 
mixture  of  half-truth,  cowardly  suppression  of  facts,  and 
falsehood, — this  interpretation  removes  the  difficulties 
mentioned  and,  it  seems  to  me,  explains  the  whole  ac- 
count easily  and  naturally, — with  one  exception.  This 
single  exception  is  Joseph's  explicit  statement  (45.4,  5), 
"  I  am  Joseph  your  brother,  whom  you  sold  into  Egypt." 
But  here  we  must  remember  two  things :  first,  to  the 
parties  concerned  and  to  the  narrator,  who  knew  the 
facts,  there  could  have  been  no  such  difficulties  as  we 
find  in  the  narrative,  and  to  us  also,  if  we  knew  them, 
it  would  appear  equally  simple  and  natural ;  and  second, 
Joseph  cannot  have  meant  by  his  expression  "  sold  into 
Egypt  "  all  that  might  be  put  into  the  words,  for  he  of 
course  knew  that  it  was  the  Ishmaelites  who  actually  sold 
him  into  Egypt.  On  either  interpretation  his  words 
meant  that  the  brothers  did  that  which  led  to  his  being 
actually  taken  into  Egypt  and  sold  there ;  and  whether 
this  act  of  theirs  consisted  of  selling  him  to  the  Ishmael- 
ites in  Canaan,  or  of  leaving  him  unguarded  in  the 
cistern  while  the  Midianites  stole  him  out  and  sold  him 
to  the  Ishmaelites,  in  either  case  the  brothers,  with  their 
consciousness  of  guilty  intent,  were  in  no  position  to 
deny  his  statement.  Joseph  himself,  though  he  may  have 
suspected  his  brothers  of  complicity  in  his  kidnapping, 
may  have  been  ignorant  of  their  real  part  in  the  matter 
till  he  overheard  their  conversation  in  42.23.  37.36, 
The  traders.  A.  V.,  "  Midianites."  The  Hebrew  has 
here  a  word  which  differs  from  the  "  Midianites  "  of 
37.28  by  two  letters, — medanim  instead  of  midianim; 
and,  although  the  word  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  Old 


250      THE   DESCENDANTS    OF   JACOB 

Testament,  there  is  some  ground  for  taking  it  as  a  com- 
mon noun,  a  rare  term  with  the  meaning  "  traders  "  or 
"  merchantmen."  It  would  thus  be  another  name  for 
the  Ishmaehtes.  On  the  other  hand,  the  versions 
(Septuagint  and  others)  have  '' Midianites  "  here  also; 
and  it  is  possible  that  the  variation  in  the  Hebrew  is 
merely  a  scribal  error.  To  be  compared  are  4.18 
**  Mehujael  .  .  .  Mehijael,"  and  32.30,  31  "  Peniel 
.  .  .  Penuel  "  (see  Notes),  where  the  same  supposi- 
tion has  been  made.  On  this  interpretation,  the  state- 
ment would  mean  that  the  sale  by  the  Midianites  resulted 
in  his  being  finally  sold  into  Egypt ;  and  we  should  have 
a  confirmation  of  the  interpretation  given  above  of  the 
same  expression  when  used  of  the  brothers.  38.9, 
Ground.  Hebrew  "  earth,"  not  the  word  I  have  usually 
translated  ground.  38.21,  The  votaress.  The  Hebrew 
word  is  applied  to  women  who  offered  themselves  for 
prostitution  as  an  act  of  their  religion,  a  widespread  fea- 
ture of  Oriental  heathen  cults.  39.1,  An  officer  of 
Pharaoh's.  The  word  is  the  common  Hebrew  term 
for  a  eunuch,  but  there  is  some  evidence  that  it  was  ex- 
tended in  Egyptian  usage  to  other  officials  of  high  rank. 
39.20,  The  "  SoHAR."  A  name  for  an  Egyptian  prison, 
the  exact  character  of  which  is  unknown.  40.13,  Lift 
UP  YOUR  HEAD.  Compare  40.19  and  20.  Joseph  uses 
with  evident  intention  the  same  form  of  expression  in 
the  two  so  widely  differing  interpretations,  and  the  nar- 
rator, with  a  sort  of  grim  humor,  repeats  it  again  in  tell- 
ing of  the  fulfilment.  41.43,  Abrech  !  This  seems  to 
be  an  Egyptian  word,  and  the  interpretation  "  Bend  the 
knee !  "  is  not  certain.  42.38,  Sheol.  We  have  no 
exact  English  equivalent  for  this  Hebrew  term.  It 
corresponded  roughly  to  the  Greek  Hades,  and  meant  the 
"  other  world,"  or  the  world  of  the  dead,  without  mak- 
ing  any   such   distinction   as   that  between  the   English 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    12  251 

terms    ''hell"    and    'Mieaven."     46.15,    Thirty-three. 
The  difficulty  about  the  number  here  is  best  explained 
by  supposing  thirty-three  to  be  an  error  of  transcription 
for  ''  thirty-two,"  Er  and  Onan  not  being  counted.     Ow- 
ing to  the  Hebrew  method  of  writing  numbers,  errors 
in  copying  them  were  more  liable  to  occur  than  in  other 
parts  of  the  text;  and  here  some  copyist  may  have  been 
misled  by  counting  over  the  names  in  the  table,  includ- 
ing Er  and  Onan,  and  omitting  to  notice  Dinah,  who  is 
mentioned    below.     46.27,    Seventy.        32 (Leah)    +16 
(Zilpah)    -|-ii  (Rachel, — omitting   Joseph    and    his   two 
sons)     -f  7(Bilhah)=66;    and    66+3  (Joseph    and    his 
two   sons)    +1  (Jacob)  =70.     47.31,    Leaning   on   the 
TOP     OF     HIS     STAFF.     So     the     Syriac     Version,     the 
Septuagint,  and  Hebrews  11. 21.    The  Hebrew,  however, 
according  to  the  Massoretic  text,  reads  ''  on  the  head  of 
the  bed."     49.10,  Till  he  cometh  into  his  own.     To 
take    "  Shiloh "    as    the   proper    name    of    a    person,    a 
prophetic  title  of  the  Messiah,  as  in  the  A.  V.  "  till  Shiloh 
come,"  is  highly  improbable ;  and  to  take  it  as  the  proper 
name  of  a  place,  "  till  he  come  to  Shiloh,"  although  a 
possible   translation    of   the    Hebrew,   is    unlikely.     The 
passage  does  seem  to  contain,  however,  an  expression  of 
the  Messianic  hope.     The  -oh  means  "his."     I  conjec- 
ture  that   shil   is   for   sh'il,   which   would   mean   "  thing 
asked  for."     Thus  Shiloh  would  mean  "  thing  asked  for 
by  him,"  his  demand,  his  claim.     I  offer  this  as  a  con- 
jecture for  the  consideration  of  scholars.    But  we  should 
not  be  too  sure  of  the  interpretation  of  an  obscure  pas- 
sage. 

On'o^/w.^-Everything  in  this  section  might  have  been 
collected  by  Joseph,  except  the  verses  at  the  end,  which 
contain  an  account  of  his  death.  These  may  have  been 
added  by  Moses. 

Form. — The  section  is  a  series  of  narratives,  contain- 


252       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

ing  a  number  of  oracles,  some  of  them  of  considerable 
length.  It  traces  the  development  of  the  family  of  Jacob 
into  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  It  falls  into  twelve 
subsections,  which  may  be  grouped  into  three  larger 
divisions.  The  literary  continuity  of  this  section  is 
greater  even  than  that  of  Section  9 ;  with  the  exception 
of  the  second  subsection,  which  is  a  separate  episode,  it 
runs  on,  a  single  story,  to  the  close,  showing  a  sustained 
power  of  construction  and  an  unsurpassed  mastery  of 
the  art  of  narration. 

Contents. — The  first  two  subsections  together  tell  us 
of  Jacob's  Sons  in  Canaan   (37.2 — 38.30). 

1.  Joseph  Sold  in  Egypt  (37.2-36).  Joseph  was  born 
when  Jacob  was  about  ninety  years  old ;  but  although 
the  youngest  of  Jacob's  sons  until  the  birth  of  Benjamin, 
there  could  have  been  little  difference  between  his  age 
and  that  of  Issachar  and  Zebulun.  It  was  therefore 
mainly  through  his  filial  care  of  his  father,  probably,  that 
he  came  to  be  the  best  loved  of  Jacob's  sons.  But  for 
whatever  reasons,  Jacob  was  decidedly  partial  to  him, 
and  showed  it.  And  Joseph  had  dreams  of  future  great- 
ness and  superiority.  In  this  way  he  became  the  object 
of  hatred  to  his  ten  older  brothers.  They  plotted  to  sell 
him  into  slavery ;  and  through  their  act,  though  not 
actually  by  them,  he  was  kidnapped  by  some  wandering 
Midianites  and  sold  to  Ishmaelites  who  sold  him  in 
Egypt  to  Potiphar,  the  "  head  butcher "  of  Pharaoh. 
The  brothers,  ignorant  of  his  fate  and  supposing  him 
dead,  concealed  their  responsibility  in  the  matter  from 
Jacob  by  a  trick  of  deception. 

2.  The  Birth  of  Peres  and  Zerah  (chap.  38).  It  is 
a  shameful  story,  but  the  essence  of  it  is  that  Judah  had 
these  two  sons  by  Tamar,  the  widow  of  his  own  son, 
having  mistaken  her  for  a  prostitute. 

The  next  six  subsections,  which  may  be  entitled 
The  Removal  from  Canaan  to  Egypt,  tell  in  a  brilliantly 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    12  253 

sustained  piece  of  narration  how  the  family  of  Jacob 
came  to  migrate  into  Egypt.  Joseph  is  the  hero  through- 
out  this   portion  of   the   section.     (39.1 — ^47.26). 

3.  Joseph  in  Potiphar's  House  (39.1-20).  Joseph 
was  thrown  into  prison  on  a  false  charge,  because  he 
would  not  sin  with  Potiphar's  wife. 

4.  Joseph  in  Prison  (39.21 — 40.23).  He  won  the 
favor  of  the  warden  and  of  his  fellow-prisoners  by  his 
faithfulness  and  efficiency ;  and  he  successfully  inter- 
preted the  dreams  of  two  of  them,  predicting  for  one 
his  execution,  and  for  the  other  his  restoration  to 
Pharaoh's  favor. 

5.  Joseph  Exalted  (chap.  41).  Two  years  later 
Pharaoh  himself  had  dreams,  and  at  the  suggestion  of 
this  official  Joseph  was  called  in  to  interpret  them.  He 
did  so,  predicting  a  seven  years'  famine  after  a  seven 
years'  plenty ;  and  Pharaoh  was  so  much  impressed 
that  he  believed  Joseph  and  made  him  next  to 
himself  in  power  with  special  commission  to  pre- 
pare for  the  famine.  Joseph  was  then  thirty  years 
old. 

6.  Joseph  and  His  Brothers  (chaps.  42,  43,  44,  and 
45).  The  first  visit  of  the  brothers  to  Egypt  is  told  in 
Chap.  42.  Nine  years  after  Joseph's  exaltation,  in  the 
third  year  of  the  famine,  which  extended  to  Canaan, 
Jacob  sent  his  sons  except  Benjamin  to  Egypt  to  buy 
grain.  Joseph  recognized  his  brothers  without  being 
recognized  by  them.  He  accused  them  of  being  spies 
and  on  this  ground  kept  Simeon  a  prisoner  until  they 
should  return  with  their  youngest  brother  and  thus  prove 
their  story  true.  Secretly  he  restored  their  money  to 
them,  having  it  put  into  their  sacks  of  grain.  The  sec- 
ond visit  is  described  in  the  next  two  chapters,  43.1 — 
44.34.  When  the  famine  pressed,  Jacob  at  last  con- 
sented to  let  Benjamin  go.  After  playing  on  the  fears 
and  on  the   consciences  of  his  brothers,   Joseph  finally 


254       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

prepared  to  make  himself  known  to  them.  In  this  junc- 
ture it  is  Judah  who  acts  the  noblest  part.  Chapter  45 
tells  how  Joseph  sent  for  his  father  and  his  kin.  He 
has  his  brothers  take  back  with  them  such  gifts  and 
means  of  transportation  as  were  convincing. 

7.  Jacob's  Migration  (46.1 — 47.12).  Israel  prepared 
to  go  down  to  Egypt,  46.1-7,  receiving  the  direction  of 
God  at  Beer-Sheba.  At  this  point  a  list  of  the  Israelites 
is  inserted,  46.8-27,  very  much  as  the  list  of  Jacob's  sons 
is  inserted  (35.22b-26)  in  Section  9,  in  the  account  of 
Jacob's  return  to  the  home  of  Isaac.  The  order  here 
observed  is  as  follows :  the  six  sons  of  Leah ;  the  two 
sons  of  her  maid ;  the  two  sons  of  Rachel ;  and  the  two 
sons  of  her  maid, — the  sons  in  each  group  being  given 
in  the  order  of  their  ages.  The  list  includes  the  names 
of  all  their  then  children.  All  the  family  of  Jacob,  not 
counting  the  slaves,  amounted  to  seventy  persons.  The 
subsection  then  continues  the  account  of  the  migration 
and  the  reception  of  the  family  in  Egypt,  46.28 — 47.12. 
Here  the  dignity  of  character  of  the  patriarch  Israel  be- 
comes conspicuous,  especially  in  his  interview  with 
Pharaoh. 

8.  Joseph  and  the  Egyptians  (47.13-26).  The  climax 
of  personal  interest  of  the  story  is  reached  in  the  meet- 
ing of  Jacob  and  Joseph  in  chapter  46 ;  but  the  story  of 
Joseph's  conduct  as  a  statesman  remains  to  be  completed. 
He  buys  all  Egypt  for  Pharaoh  with  the  grain  that  he 
has  collected,  and  in  so  doing  lays  the  foundation  for 
that  despotism  which  later  enslaved  the  Israelites  them- 
selves. 

In  the  four  remaining  subsections,  which  may  be  taken 
together  as  dealing  with  the  Israelites  in  Egypt,  the  lives 
of  Jacob  and  Joseph  in  the  country  of  their  adoption 
are  brought  to  a  close.     (47.27 — 50.26). 

9.  Jacob's  Blessing  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh  (47.27 
— ^48.22).    Jacob  makes  of  the  two  sons  of  Joseph  each 


NOTES    TO    SECTION    12  255 

a   tribe,    and   thus   raises   the   number   of  the   tribes   to 
thirteen. 

10.  Jacob's  Dying  Blessing-  of  His  Sons  (chap.  49). 
This  blessing  was  put  in  a  poetic  form,  and  was  under- 
stood to  be  both  a  testament  and  a  prediction,  and  to 
have  prophetic  authority.  Jacob  deposes  Reuben  from 
the  pre-eminence  of  the  firstborn  on  account  of  his  sin 
with  Bilhah.  Simeon  and  Levi  he  scatters  in  Israel  on 
account  of  their  treacherous  murder  of  the  Shechemites. 
Judah  he  makes  the  head.  Zebulun,  the  sixth  son  of 
Leah,  is  put  before  Issachar,  the  fifth  son,  for  what 
reason  does  not  appear.  Going  next  to  the  sons  of  the 
maids,  he  takes  them  in  this  order:  Dan,  the  oldest  of 
Bilhah  Rachel's  maid's;  Gad,  the  oldest  of  Zilpah's; 
Asher,  the  younger  of  Zilpah's ;  Naphtali,  the  younger  of 
Bilhah's.  Then  he  takes  up  Rachel's  sons.  On  Joseph 
he  enlarges  with  great  pleasure,  putting  him  by  the  side 
of  Judah.  A  brief  word  is  added  for  Benjamin.  Then 
comes  the  account  of  his  death. 

11.  The  Burial  of  Jacob  (50.1-14).  His  sons  embalm 
him  according  to  the  Egyptian  method,  take  him  to 
Canaan,  and  bury  him  in  Machpelah. 

12.  The  Sons  after  Jacob's  Death  (50.15-26).  How 
Joseph  continued  the  friend  and  protector  of  his  brothers 
is  told  first,  50.15-21.  Then  comes  the  death  of  Joseph, 
50.22-26.  He  dies  having  charged  his  people,  when  they 
should  return  from  Egypt,  to  take  his  bones  with  them. 
Hence  he  too  was  embalmed. 

Facts  and  Teaching'^. — The  sons  of  Jacob  married 
into  other  races:  Judah  a  Canaanite,  Joseph  an  Egyp- 
tian, and  the  other  sons  probably  women  of  Canaan,  since 
they  were  none  of  them  old  enough  to  be  married  when 
Jacob  brought  them  from  Paddan-Aram  to  Canaan. 
Half  the  blood  of  Jacob's  household  that  came  into 
Egypt  was  thus  probably  not  Abraham's  blood,  or  even 
Terah's  blood. 


256       THE   DESCENDANTS    OF    JACOB 

Judah  has  the  primacy  among  the  tribes. 

The  authority  of  the  patriarch  over  his  household  as 
long  as  he  lived,  and,  by  his  decrees,  even  after  his  death, 
is  great.  This  accounts  for  Esau's  yielding  Canaan  to 
Jacob. 

It  must  be  noted  that  prophecy  was  in  great  use  all 
through  the  Genesis  ages.  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob  were  all  prophets,  inspired  men  who 
spoke  by  divine  authority.  Various  methods  of  revela- 
tion to  the  prophets  were  employed,  among  them  differ- 
ent forms  of  theophany,  angels,  and  dreams.  Psycho- 
logically, these  experiences,  being  unlike  ours,  are  not 
explicable  to  us ;  but  the  reality  and  trustworthiness  of 
them  were  somehow  certified  to  the  subjects  of  them, 
and  confirmed  both  to  them  and  to  others  by  signs  ac- 
companying and  following. 

Especially  noteworthy  is  the  doctrine  of  providence 
exhibited.  It  comes  out  most  unmistakably  in  the  case 
of  Joseph.  Accidents  and  wicked  volitions  all  alike 
become  parts  of  the  one  mesh  of  agencies  used  by  God 
in  the  execution  of  his  undefeated  purposes. 

Two  principles  obtain.  One  is  that  every  one, 
covenant  or  no  covenant,  comes  somehow  at  last  to  re- 
ceive according  to  his  doing.  The  other  is  that  God 
disciplines  his  covenant  people  for  their  own  good,  send- 
ing them  to  Egypt  in  order  to  bring  them  up  again.  He 
chastises,  not  to  destroy,  but  to  train. 

And  most  admirable  is  the  product  of  this  discipline 
in  such  characters  as  Israel,  Judah,  and  Joseph. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    FACTS    OF    GENESIS 

We  may  regroup  the  facts  stated  in  this  narrative 
under  seven  heads :  geography  in  the  broadest  sense ; 
events,  especially  their  chronology;  the  material  en- 
vironment as  modified  by  man's  activity,  or  wealth 
and  industry;  man's  intellectual  life,  including  his 
science,  art,  and  culture;  man  in  social  relations  and 
institutions,  such  as  family  and  political  organization; 
man  in  his  religious  life  and  institutions;  and  biog- 
raphy. More  briefly,  but  using  the  terms  loosely,  the 
heads  may  be  called  geography,  chronology,  wealth, 
culture,  society,  religion,  and  biography. 

Geography. — Here  we  do  not  endeavor  to  present 
the  facts  of  geography  as  gathered  from  all  sources 
for  the  illustration  of  Genesis,  but  we  assume  a  knowl- 
edge of  these  facts  which  it  belongs  to  Biblical  ge- 
ographies to  present.  Nor  is  it  our  aim  to  point  out 
just  such  geographical  facts  as  Genesis  states,  a  task 
more  curious  than  profitable.  But  our  aim  is  to  get 
the  place  or  geographical  theater  on  which  the  Genesis 
history  was  enacted,  to  see  the  geographical  world  of 
its  actors  and  narrators.  And  in  this  it  is  necessary  to 
anticipate  the  chronology  far  enough  to  say  that  our 
subject  falls  into  three  distinct  parts:  the  geography 
of  the  antediluvians,  or  the  antediluvian  world;  the 
post-diluvian  world;  and  the  patriarchal  world. 

In  the  antediluvian  geography  there  is  really  only 

257 


258     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

one  question,  the  location  of  Eden.  For  in  Eden  was 
the  Garden  covering  a  portion  of  Eden  and  surrounded 
by  Eden;  and  outside  of  Eden  the  land  was  all  land 
of  refuge  or  exile  (4.16).  Gradually,  of  course,  the 
land  around  Eden  w^ould  become  known  to  the  Sethite 
community,  and  to  longer  distances  in  some  directions 
than  in  others;  but  we  have  no  data  for  determining 
the  limits  of  the  earth  as  known  to  them. 

The  Garden  was  so  located  in  Eden  that  it  was 
watered  by  a  river  that  flow^ed  out  of  Eden  (2.10), 
that  is,  the  Garden  w^as  in  the  low^er  part  of  Eden. 
Above  the  Garden  this  river  had  four  forks,  one  of 
W'hich  is  indentified  as  the  Euphrates,  and  another  as 
the  Tigris.  The  other  two  are  not  identified  to  us. 
Eden,  then,  was  in  the  lower  end  of  the  Euphrates- 
Tigris  valley,  the  Garden  being  below  where  the  two 
and  two  other  rivers  became  one,  and  on  this  one 
before  it  reached  the  sea.  This  accords  also  with 
1.9,  from  which  we  may  infer  that  man's  first  home 
was  by  the  sea,  and  that  looked  at  as  the  one  receptacle 
or  collection  of  waters.  We  may  therefore  infer 
that  the  geographical  relations  of  these  rivers  and  the 
Persian  Gulf  were  such  as  the  location  demands. 
The  Garden  may  have  been  located  at  a  place  now 
covered  by  the  Persian  Gulf. 

It  is  possible  that  some  of  the  Cainites  may  have 
pushed  out  in  one  direction  or  another,  and  have  be- 
come lost  altogether  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Sethite 
community;  and  even  from  the  Sethites  migrations 
may  have  strayed  off  into  the  unknown  and  passed 
into  oblivion.  The  only  sure  point  in  antediluvian 
geography  is  that  Eden  was  in  the  lower  Euphrates- 
Tigris  valley. 


THE    FACTS    OF    GENESIS  259 

When  we  come  to  post-diluvian  geography,  we  have 
the  Euphrates-Tigris  valley  as  the  center.  Babel, 
Erech,  Accad,  Calneh,  in  Shinar,  (10.10  and  11.9) 
are  to  be  identified  with  Babylon  and  neighboring 
cities;  these  are  on  the  lower  Euphrates.  Higher  up, 
on  the  Tigris,  we  identify  Nineveh,  Rehoboth-Ir, 
Calah,  and  Resen  with  Nineveh  and  neighboring  cities. 
Sidon  and  the  other  boundaries  of  the  Canaanites 
(10.19)  ^^^  fairly  certain.  The  mountains  of  the  East 
(10.30)  and  the  boundaries  of  the  Joktanites  are,  it 
is  most  likely,  to  be  sought  in  or  about  Arabia.  The 
islands  or  coasts  of  the  nations  (10.5)  probably  lie 
in  the  7EgQ3.n  Sea  and  the  eastern  Mediterranean,  or 
along  them.  Ararat  (8.4)  is  uncertain.  Egypt  does 
not  come  into  view,  or  not  with  certainty ;  for  we  can- 
not build  on  the  name  Misraim  (10.13),  for  it  appears 
here  as  the  name  of  one  of  the  sons  of  Ham  (to.6), 
and  not  as  the  name  of  a  country.  Siitiilar  remarks 
may  be  made  as  to  Cush  (10.6)  and  Havilah  (10.29). 
Of  course  the  conditions  found  in  Egypt  in  the  patri- 
archal period  show  that  Egypt  was  already  inhabited 
before  the  patriarchal  period;  but  Egypt  may  have 
been  altogether  unknown  to  the  authors  of  the  Genesis 
accounts  of  the  post-diluvian  period.  If  the  notes 
about  Cush  and  Havilah  in  2.11-13  were  inserted  be- 
fore the  flood,  they  tell  us  nothing;  for  their  coinci- 
dence in  sound  with  later  names  of  countries  may  be 
an  accident  arising  in  the  change  from  the  language 
in  which  that  account  was  first  composed  into  the 
language  in  which  these  names  of  countries  are  found. 
If  these  notes  were  inserted  during  the  post-diluvian 
period,  they  likewise  tell  us  nothing,  or,  at  the  most, 
suggest  that  the  men  Cush  and  Havilah  settled  their 


26o     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

families  first  in  districts  in  the  Euphrates-Tigris  valley. 
The  names  might  have  become  applied  later  to  other 
districts  for  several  possible  reasons  other  than  because 
they  were  first  settled  by  these  men  or  their  descend- 
ants. 

The  world,  then,  as  known  to  the  post-diluvian 
authors,  the  tellers  of  the  accounts  contained  in  the 
fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  sections  of  Genesis,  6.9 — 11.26, 
was  the  valley  of  the  two  great  rivers,  Euphrates  and 
Tigris,  and  the  lands  westward  to  the  Mediterranean. 
Other  lands  may  have  been  known  to  them.  And 
there  may  have  gone  out  from  the  Noachic  people  or 
peoples  streams  of  population  in  one  direction  or  an- 
other and  become  separated  from  the  central  hive; 
and  of  some  such  streams  the  authors  of  these  accounts 
may  have  known  nothing.  The  information  that  they 
do  give  may  help  us  to  begin  the  tracing  of  certain 
streams  of  population,  and  even  to  follow  some  of 
these  streams  a  distance;  but  the  disflations  and  con- 
flations of  peoples  or  streams  of  population  were  too 
numerous  and  complicated  to  permit  us  to  go  far,  or 
to  be  exact  to  a  large  extent. 

It  is  here  we  may  make  another  supposition.  Be- 
fore the  flood,  as  already  pointed  out,  there  may  have 
been  emigrations  into  distant  lands,  peoples  that  went 
out  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Sethite  community.  If 
so,  were  such  peoples  destroyed  in  the  flood?  The 
question  I  raise  now  is  one  of  interpretation.  Do  the 
statements  about  the  flood,  interpreted  as  the  state- 
ments of  the  witnesses  of  the  facts,  involve  the  denial 
that  there  were  such  offshoots  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  flood?  I  am  constrained  to  say  that  these  state- 
ments   thus   interpreted    do    not    involve   this    denial 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  261 

necessarily.  At  the  same  time,  we  cannot  say  that  any 
such  offshoots  took  place  and  escaped  the  flood,  and 
the  feeling  of  the  Genesis  narratives  seems  to  make 
against  the  supposition. 

In  the  patriarchal  period,  besides  much  concerning 
places  within  the  region  that  came  into  view  in  the 
preceding  period,  Egypt  and  its  river  Nile  become  a 
part  of  our  world;  and  there  is  some  extension  of  our 
horizon  east  of  Babylonia  perhaps  (14.1).  But  what 
was  there  south  and  west  of  Egypt,  west  of  the  coast 
and  islands  of  the  Great  Sea,  north  of  Paddan-aram 
or  Mesopotamia,  and  east  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia 
and  the  countries  immediately  contiguous,  are  ques- 
tions neither  answered  nor  asked  in  Genesis. 

Chronology. — We  shall  take  up  the  three  periods 
in  order,  and  inquire  into  the  length  of  each  and  the 
order  of  its  events. 

If  there  were  no  omissions  in  the  table  in 
chapter  5,  the  antediluvian  period  would  cover  1656 
years;  but  there  are  probably  omissions,  and  the 
period  may  have  been  twice  as  long,  or  even  more. 
As  there  is  a  like  lack  of  exact  data  for  determining 
the  length  of  the  next  period,  which  ended  somewhere 
about  2000  B.  c,  it  may  have  been  only  about  360 
years,  or  it  may  have  been  several  times  that  length. 
The  flood,  then,  may  have  taken  place  anywhere  from 
say  2500  B.  c.  back  to  3500  b.  c,  and  the  antediluvian 
period  may  stretch  back  from  the  flood  as  much  as 
three  or  four  thousand  years,  or  even  more.  The 
Genesis  narrative  of  human  life  begins  at  a  time  prob- 
ably somewhere  between  8000  and  4000  b.  c. 

In  the  antediluvian  period  we  have  not  means  of 


262     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

determining  the  time  relations  of  the  Cainites  and 
the  Sethites;  but  the  Cainite  civiHzation  seems  to 
have  preceded  the  Sethite ;  and  therefore  we  may 
suppose  the  ninth  among  the  Sethites,  Lamech,  to 
have  come  after  the  seventh  among  the  Cainites,  and 
to  have  been  named  for  him.  If  this  supposition  is 
correct  we  may  thus  connect  Mehalaleel,  the  fifth 
among  the  Sethites,  with  Mehujael,  the  fifth  among  the 
Cainites ;  Jared,  sixth,  with  Irad,  fourth ;  Enoch,  sev- 
enth, with  Enoch,  third  ;  and  Methuselah,  eighth,  with 
Methusael,  sixth.  In  any  case,  we  must  put  the  rise 
of  the  useful  arts  among  the  Cainites  before  they 
came  into  use  in  the  building  of  the  ark. 

The  following,  then,  is  a  possible  outline  of  the 
course  of  events  in  this  period :  first,  the  life  in 
the  Garden,  and  then  in  Eden  outside  the  Garden,  un- 
til the  banishment  of  Cain;  second,  the  separate 
development  of  the  two  lines  with  little  communica- 
tion, until  Kenan,  fourth  among  the  Sethites;  third, 
intercourse  between  the  two  lines,  the  Cainites  giving 
forth  more  influence  than  they  received,  yet  no  serious 
break  from  Jehovah  among  the  Sethites,  until  in  the 
time  of  Lamech,  the  seventh  among  the  Cainites; 
fourth,  a  brilliant  material  advance  among  the  Cain- 
ites, and  intermarriage  between  them  and  the  Sethites, 
with  resulting  corruption  of  all,  until  the  days  of 
Noah;  fifth,  attempted  reformation  and  failure  in  the 
days  of  Noah,  until  the  flood. 

The  post-diluvian  period  we  have  already  taken 
to  reach  from  the  flood  till  the  migration  of  Abram 
to  Canaan,  and  to  cover  at  least  several  hundred  years, 
or  at  most  a  thousand  or  so. 

This  period  we  may  divide  into  smaller  periods  as 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  263 

follows.  The  first  is  from  the  flood  to  the  dispersion 
from  Babel,  during  which  time  the  Noachic  family, 
with  possible  minor  exceptions,  remained  together. 
Perhaps  this  period  comes  down  to  Peleg  (10.25), 
the  sixth  among  the  Shemites,  counting  Noah  as  first. 
The  second  is  the  age  of  the  dispersion,  from  the  birth 
of  Peleg  to  the  migration  of  Abram,  during  which 
period  the  families  of  Noah's  sons  dispersed  from 
Babel  in  different  directions,  the  family  of  Abram 
being  among  the  last  to  go  far  away  from  the  Babel 
center. 

The  dispersion  from  Babel  preceded  the  kingdom 
of  Nimrod  (10.8-10);  but  Asshur  (10.11-12)  may 
not  have  left  Babel  before  the  rise  of  Nimrod's  king- 
dom. This  would  parallel  the  fact  that  the  Canaanites 
originated  at  Babel,  or  before  the  dispersion,  and 
afterwards  were  dispersed   (10. 15-19). 

The  patriarchal  period,  reaching  from  the  migra- 
tion of  Abram  to  the  death  of  Joseph,  about  285  years, 
can  be  calculated  thus :  from  the  migration  to  the 
birth  of  Isaac,  25  years  (12.4  and  21.5)  ;  to  the  birth 
of  Jacob,  60  (25.26)  ;  to  the  going  down  of  Jacob 
into  Egypt,  130  (47.9)  ;  and  to  the  death  of  Joseph, 
70.  For  he  sent  for  Jacob  nine  years  after  his  ele- 
vation (45.6-1 1 ),  that  is,  when  he  was  39  years  old 
(41.46),  and  Jacob  arrived  when  Joseph  was  about 
40  years  old ;  and  Joseph  lived  70  years  longer 
(50.22). 

The  sections,  25.12-18,  36.1-8,  and  36.9-37.1,  proj- 
ect their  events  into  the  time  of  succeeding  sections. 
Chapter  38  belongs  to  the  time  of  selling  Joseph, 
and  before  (38.1).  Chapter  25.1-4,  about  Keturah, 
must  precede  Chapter  15;  and  probably  Abram  took 


264     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

Keturah  while  still  in  Ur,  or  at  the  latest  while  in 
Haran  (12.5).  Chapter  20  takes  place  in  Gerar,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Kadesh  and  Shur,  where  Abram 
was  when  he  took  Hagar  (16.7,14);  and  he  went 
there  from  the  oaks  of  Mamre  (18.1  and  20.1),  as 
he  did  when  or  before  he  took  Hagar  (14.13).  The 
events  of  Chapter  20,  then,  may  belong  between 
Chapters  14  and  16,  say  between  14  and  15.  The  He- 
brew is  prone  to  such  transpositions  of  events  with- 
out giving  as  clear  indications  as  we  should  give. 
But  in  this  case  the  absence  of  all  indication,  and  the 
absence  of  any  apparent  reason  for  not  bringing  the 
events  of  Chapter  20  in  at  their  chronological  place, 
join  with  the  most  natural  reference  of  20.1  to  18.1 
and  18.33  i"ather  than  to  14.13  to  convince  me  that  the 
narrative  means  that  the  events  of  20  follow  those 
of  18.1-33. 

We  may  outline  the  patriarchal  period  as  follows. 
The  first  twenty-five  years  (12.4  and  21.5)  begin  with 
the  migration  of  Abram,  who  took  with  him  Sarai 
and  Keturah  and  Keturah's  children,  and  of  Lot,  who 
took  with  him  his  wife  and  children,  both  taking  their 
slaves  and  cattle  and  goods.  After  reaching  Canaan 
they  sojourned  a  while  in  Egypt.  Returning  to  Ca- 
naan, the  clan  divided,  Lot  choosing  the  fertile  region 
about  Sodom.  Later  Abram,  w^ho  had  entered  into 
confederacy  with  three  other  chiefs,  and  had  of  his 
own  clan  318  warriors  (14.13,14),  defeated  the 
kings  from  the  East,  and  rescued  Lot  and  the  other 
captives  from  Sodom.  At  the  end  of  ten  years 
following  a  promise  of  his  own  legitimate  seed 
(Keturah's  not  being  counted,  as  she  was  a  concubine 
only),  Abram  took  Hagar  as  a  wife  to  bear  children 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  265 

in  the  name  of  Sarai  (16).  Fourteen  years  later, 
or  thirteen  after  Ishmael  was  born  of  Hagar,  Isaac 
by  Sarah  was  promised,  circumcision  being  instituted, 
the  chief  Abraham  and  the  13-year-old  prince  Ishmael 
and  all  their  male  servants  being  circumcised.  Before 
Isaac  was  born  Sodom  and  its  allied  cities  were  de- 
stroyed, only  Lot  and  his  two  daughters  escaping,  and 
the  clan  of  Abraham  removed  for  a  while  from  the 
oaks  of  Mamre  to  Gerar.  Isaac  was  born,  whether 
in  Gerar  or  in  Hebron  (the  oaks  of  Mamre)  we  are 
not  told.  Now  the  clan  consists  of  Abraham,  his 
w4fe  Sarah  and  her  infant  Isaac,  his  slave  wife  Hagar 
and  her  14-year-old  son  Ishmael,  his  concubine 
Keturah  and  her  eight  sons,  several  hundred  warriors, 
the  women  and  children,  and  the  cattle  and  goods. 

The  next  sixty  years  opens  with  a  violent  disturb- 
ance in  the  family.  Sarah  disowns  Ishmael,  and 
when  17  years  old  he  and  his  mother  are  cast  out 
of  the  tribe.  Probably  about  this  time  Keturah's  sons 
and  the  children  of  any  other  concubines,  if  there 
were  others  (25.1-6),  were  sent  away.  So,  while 
the  Isaac  clan  was  developing  in  the  west,  the  tribes 
of  Moab  and  Ammon  were  beginning  east  of  the  Jor- 
dan, and  the  tribes  of  Ishmael  and  of  the  sons  of 
Keturah  still  farther  to  the  east.  At  the  same  time 
Abraham  was  making  peace  treaties  and  confederacies 
with  tribes  of  Canaanites  and  Philistines  among 
whom  he  was  a  nomad  dweller.  It  was  probably 
after  Abraham  had  sent  away  all  his  natural  children, 
and  had  only  his  one  legitimate  heir  with  him,  that 
he  was  commanded  to  sacrifice  Isaac  as  a  burnt- 
offering  (22).  As  Isaac  grew  up,  the  question  of  a 
wife  for  him  began  to  come  to  the  fore,  and  atten- 


266     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

tion  was  already  directed  to  Nahor's  family  (22.20- 
24)  ;  but  Sarah  died  before  any  definite  step  was  taken. 
From  one  of  his  friendly  confederates  Abraham 
bought  land  for  a  place  of  burial,  thus  beginning  the 
transition  from  nomadic  life  to  a  more  stable  settle- 
ment. From  all  his  political  friends  Abraham  turned 
to  his  far  eastern  kin,  and  brought  thence  a  wife  for 
his  son  Isaac,  Rebekah,  granddaughter  of  his  brother 
Nahor.  At  this  time  Isaac  was  40  and  Abraham  140 
(25.20)  ;  and  twenty  years  were  spent  by  the  widowed 
patriarch  and  his  married  son  in  quiet,  waiting  for 
children. 

At  last,  when  the  father  is  60  and  the  grandfather 
is  160,  the  next  seventy  years  is  opened  with  the  birth 
of  two  sons  of  Rebekah,  Esau  and  Jacob.  Fifteen 
years  the  old  grandfather  Abraham  remained  with 
Isaac  and  Rebekah,  to  watch  the  growth  of  the  two 
boys ;  then  Isaac  and  his  brother  Ishmael,  now  75  and 
89  respectively,  buried  him  by  Sarah.  Isaac  was  con- 
spicuously a  man  of  peace,  and  kept  up  his  father's 
treaties.  Jacob  bought  the  right  of  the  firstborn  from 
Esau.  Esau,  when  40,  married  two  Hittite  women 
(26.34,  35),  the  tribe  in  which  his  clan  owned  the 
burying-place.  Jacob  waited;  and  when  Isaac,  think- 
ing soon  to  die,  would  bless  Esau,  Jacob  steals  the 
blessing.  The  result  was  the  disruption  of  the  family. 
Jacob  fled  to  Paddan-aram  to  his  mother's  kin.  All 
this  time  the  Moabites  and  Ammonites,  now  130  years 
from  the  birth  of  their  ancestors,  who  were  born 
about  the  same  time  as  Isaac,  the  Midianites  and  other 
descendants  of  Keturah, — a  still  older  tribe, — and  the 
Ishmaelites,  a  tribe  in  age  between  these  two,  were 
multiplying.     Among  all  these  kinsmen,  so  far  as  we 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  267 

know,  there  was  a  friendly  intercourse.  Esau  married 
an  Ishmaelitess,  thinking  thereby  to  please  his  parents. 
The  next  sixty  years  of  storm  opens  in  gloom. 
Those  tribes  are  flourishing.  Esau  has  three  wives, 
and  probably  a  nmnber  of  children,  and  is  with  his 
parents.  Jacob  is  70  years  old,  without  wife  or  child 
or  property,  an  exile  and  almost  a  tramp.  He  spent 
twenty  years  in  Paddan-aram  as  Laban's  hired  serv- 
ant. At  the  end  of  the  first  seven  he  married  Leah, 
and  a  week  later  Rachel.  When  he  quit  Laban,  four- 
teen years  later,  victor  in  the  long  battle  of  cunning 
and  deceit,  he  had  his  two  wives  and  two  sub-wives, 
his  eleven  sons  and  one  daughter  by  these  women,  and 
a  large  property  in  cattle  and  slaves.  Meanwhile,  we 
know  not  why,  Esau  had  separated  from  the  Isaac 
clan,  leaving  it  in  Palestine  and  going  into  settlement 
in  Seir,  while  stiU  keeping  a  friendly  connection  with 
the  old  patriarch  father.  Meanwhile  also,  or  at  the 
latest  before  reunion  with  Jacob,  Rebekah  died.  The 
widowed  Isaac,  still  dwelling  in  the  South,  was  150 
years  old  when  Jacob  made  his  treaty  with  Laban  in 
Gilead  and  sent  messengers  to  Esau  in  Seir.  At  the 
reconciliation  with  Esau  Jacob  offered  to  move  on  to 
Mount  Seir,  perhaps  meaning  to  go  that  way  to  Isaac 
in  Gerar  (33.14  and  28.21).  By  some  understanding 
not  recorded,  Esau  did  not  require  this,  and,  for  some 
reason  not  explained,  Jacob  did  not  join  his  father 
Isaac  for  some  time.  Before  he  finally  came  to  him 
at  Hebron,  Jacob,  become  Israel  (32.22-32),  settled  at 
Shechem,  where  he  even  bought  land  and  erected  an 
altar.  Dinah,  who  was  probably  about  two  or  three 
years  old  when  Jacob  came  to  Shechem,  was  a  woman 
before  he  left   Shechem;  so  he  must  have  lived  at 


268     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

Shechem  a  dozen  years  or  more.  Because  of  her 
ruin  by  the  prince  of  Shechem,  Simeon  and  Levi,  who 
would  then  be  grown  men,  and  who  must  have  used 
the  miHtary  force  of  the  Israel  clan,  destroyed 
Shechem.  This  forced  a  removal  from  Shechem, 
where  Jacob  left  all  the  idols  that  were  still  among 
his  clan.  He  went  to  Bethel,  where  he  built  an  altar, 
had  all  the  promises  renewed  and  confirmed  to  him, 
and  buried  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse.  This  indicates 
that,  while  the  Israel  clan  and  the  Isaac  clan  had  not 
yet  united,  there  was  intercourse  between  them. 
Jacob  may  have  personally  seen  his  father,  and  may 
even  have  received  a  visit  from  his  mother;  but  prob- 
ably she  was  already  dead,  and  Deborah  had  been 
given  by  Isaac  to  Jacob,  who  needed  a  nurse  in  his 
large  family  of  young  children.  Finally  Benjamin 
was  born.  The  two  clans  seem  to  have  been  united  a 
little  before  Isaac  died  (35.27).  At  Isaac's  death 
at  the  age  of  180  Jacob  was  120,  his  children,  except 
Benjamin,  ranged  from  about  42  to  about  30,  Joseph's 
age.  Hence  it  was  some  years  before  Isaac's  death 
that  Judah  married  a  Canaanitess;  for  he  had  three 
grown  sons  by  her  some  time  before  the  descent  into 
Egypt — that  is,  before  Joseph  was  40.  It  was  also 
thirteen  years  before  Isaac's  death  that  the  17-year- 
old  Joseph  was  sold  (37.2).  We  must  not  infer  from 
37.9,  10,  that  Benjamin  was  yet  born;  Rachel  was  then 
alive  (37.10,  ''thy  mother"),  but  there  was  in  the 
family  the  expectation  of  another  son  by  her  (30.24). 
After  Joseph  was  gone,  Benjamin  was  born  (if  just 
after,  his  mother's  grief  may  have  helped  kill  her  and 
would  explain  her  calling  the  child  Son  of  my  Sor- 
row, 35.18),  Leah  having,  it  is  probable,  died  before 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  269 

and  received  burial  in  Machpelah  (49.31);  thirteen 
years  after,  Isaac  died ;  and  ten  years  after  Isaac's 
death  came  the  descent  into  Egypt,  a  ten  years  for 
Joseph  made  up  of  activities  as  ruler  of  Egypt 
(through  the  seven  years  of  plenty  and  three  of  the 
famine),  to  which  exalted  position  he  had  come  out 
of  an  imprisonment  that  lasted  over  two  years 
(41.1),  and  that  was  preceded  by  some  ten  years  of 
slavery. 

At  the  time  of  the  descent  of  the  Israelite  clan 
into  Egypt,  the  Keturah  tribe  was  considerably  more 
than  200  years  from  the  birth  of  Keturah's  sons;  the 
Moabites  and  Ammonites  were  190  years  from  their 
origin,  as  were  the  Isaac  clan  from  theirs,  (but  they 
had  lost  a  half  century  in  their  development  in  the 
Jacob  line)  ;  and  the  Edomites  were  130  years  from 
the  birth  of  Esau  (and  they  had  had  a  most  rapid 
development). 

The  last  70  years  of  the  patriarchal  period  extends 
from  the  settlement  in  Goshen  to  the  death  of  Joseph. 
Four  or  five  years  the  famine  continued,  during  which 
Joseph  effected  the  agrarian  revolution  in  Egypt;  for 
12  or  13  more  Jacob  survived,  to  be  then  embalmed 
and  carried  to  Machpelah  for  burial;  and  for  the 
remaining  53  Joseph  remained  in  power  and  the 
Israelites  in  Goshen  had  every  favorable  condition 
for  rapid  increase  and  material  prosperity. 

Discoveries  may  at  any  time  be  made  that  will 
identify  Joseph's  Pharaoh,  and  date  the  descent  into 
Egypt.  It  is  already  thought  to  be  practically  cer- 
tain that  the  Amraphel  of  14. i  is  to  be  identified  with 
Hammurabi ;  but  the  date  of  Hammurabi  is  not  fixed 
beyond    doubt.     The    Biblical    data    seem    to    yield 


270     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

us  some  such  result  as  the  following.  The  Exodus 
was  480  years  before  the  building  of  Solomon's 
temple  (i  Ki.  6.1).  The  covenant  with  Abraham  was 
430  years  before  the  Exodus  (Gal.  3.17  and  Ex. 
12.40,  41).  Abraham  was  100  years  old  at  the  final 
covenant  with  him  in  Gen.  17.  But  the  building  of 
the  temple  was  about  975  B.C.  The  migration  of 
Abraham,  then,  was  about  19 10  B.C.,  and  the  descent 
into  Egypt  about  1625.  Or  if  w^e  understand  the  430 
years  of  Ex.  12.40,  41  and  Gal.  3.17  to  begin  wath  the 
descent  into  Egypt,  which  seems  to  be  the  meaning  of 
Ex.  12.40,  41,  then  this  entrance  took  place  about 
1885  B.C.,  and  the  migration  about  2170. 

Wealth. — The  first  wealth  was  fruits  and  animals, 
and  the  first  industries  were  horticulture  and  the  feed- 
ing of  flocks.  Then  came  hunting  and  the  making  of 
weapons.  From  simple  weapons  and  tools  of  wood 
and  stone  men  rose  to  edged  tools  of  copper  and 
iron.  Tents  came  into  use,  perhaps  in  connection  first 
with  the  tending  of  cattle.  Collections  of  population 
grew  into  what  were  called  cities.  Clothing  began 
wnth  the  use  of  skins,  and  the  art  of  making  clothing 
developed  we  know  not  how  far.  Men  got  to  making 
musical  instruments,  both  wind  and  stringed.  And 
the  useful  arts  went  so  far  before  the  flood  that  the 
building  of  the  ark  was  possible. 

What  forms  of  agriculture  besides  horticulture  were 
practiced  before  the  flood  we  are  not  told;  but  after 
the  flood  we  find  Noah  raising  a  vineyard.  The  use 
of  flesh  as  food  would  give  a  new  stimulus  and  direc- 
tion to  the  useful  arts,  and  multiply  the  forms  of 
wealth.     The  art  of  building  with  a  sort  of  mortar 


THE    FACTS    OF    GENESIS  271 

and  brick  so  strong  as  to  make  possible  the  erection  of 
lofty  structures,  appears  in  the  midst  of  the  post- 
diluvian period  at  Babel.  And  the  later  migrations 
put  different  clans  and  tribes  in  possession  of  varied 
lands  and  natural  resources. 

In  the  patriarchal  period  we  see  such  wealth  as 
wine,  precious  spices,  fine  meal  baked  in  cakes,  cooked 
veal,  besides  curd  and  milk,  used  for  food,  involving 
cooking  and  other  arts  of  preparing  food;  sheep, 
goats,  cows,  turtle-doves,  and  pigeons,  their  flesh  used 
for  sacrifice  and  for  food,  and  asses  and  camels  used 
as  beasts  of  burden,  besides  the  use  of  skins  and  wool 
for  clothing  as  also  vegetable  fiber;  wells  and  water- 
skins,  making  man  measurably  independent  of  streams 
and  location  for  drink ;  tents,  and  also  houses ; 
property  in  real  estate,  with  settled  agriculture; 
military  equipment,  with  the  art  and  practice  of  war, 
leading  to  the  use  of  chariots,  and  of  wagons  in  the 
labors  of  peace;  ornaments  such  as  staff,  ring,  and 
chain,  made  of  silver  and  gold;  metal  money,  com- 
merce, and  traffic;  slaves;  and  accumulated  riches  of 
some  individuals  and  nations,  making  them  immensely 
wealthy  in  comparison  with  others. 

Culture. — Beside  the  evidences  of  intellectual  de- 
velopment and  culture  in  the  wealth  and  industries 
already  mentioned,  note  may  be  made  of  the  following 
facts.  Even  before  the  flood  there  were  the  beginnings 
of  botany,  zoology,  and  astronomy  from  the  first. 
Sufficient  progress  was  achieved  in  mathematics  to 
make  measurements  and  keep  records  in  numbers  up 
to  one  thousand.  Music  was  cultivated.  Poetry  was 
produced  and  handed  down.     The  sacred  narratives 


2^2     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

were  composed  and  transmitted.  There  were  the  be- 
ginnings of  Hterature. 

After  the  flood  the  one  language  of  the  family  of 
Noah  split  up  into  dialects,  and  hastened  the  dispersion 
which  the  union  at  Babel  was  intended  to  check  and 
prevent;  and  during  this  age  intellectual  progress  was 
made  in  a  larger  knowledge  of  the  physical  environ- 
ment, of  geographical  facts  and  relations. 

Coming  to  the  patriarchal  period  we  find  a  wealthy 
and  cultured  empire  in  Egypt,  a  confederacy  of  kings 
in  Babylonia  capable  of  making  distant  expeditions, 
and  smaller  kingdoms  scattered  through  Canaan;  and 
in  all  kingdoms  much  court  luxury  and  refinement, 
as  far  as  the  meager  evidence  in  Genesis  enables  us 
to  judge.  The  patriarchs  were  nomads  in  transition 
toward  settled  agriculture.  In  their  customs  of  hos- 
pitality, of  burying,  of  intercourse,  and  in  their 
feelings,  we  see  evidences  of  refinement.  Abraham's 
servant  Eliezer  was  a  gentleman,  to  say  nothing  of 
Abraham  and  Isaac.  These  patriarchs  had  records, 
which  they  treasured  and  transmitted;  additions  were 
made  by  them  from  time  to  time  to  their  literary 
treasures;  and  they  showed  capacity  for  a  worldwide 
outlook. 

Society. — To  understand  the  world  as  society  was 
in  those  ages,  account  must  be  taken  of  the  long  lives 
that  men  lived  in  the  earliest  times,  and  even  into  the 
patriarchal  period.  This  one  fact  explains  how  cus- 
toms w^ould  become  established  and  have  the  force  of 
law  in  the  absence  of  explicit  enactment  and  of 
visible  enforcement.  Even  strangers  and  enemies 
would  obey  the  customs. 


THE    FACTS    OF    GENESIS  273 

We  cannot  study  the  social  life  at  all  without  dis- 
covering the  dominant  influence  of  sex,  and  its 
attendant  facts  of  birth  and  growth  and  death.  At  the 
beginning  marriage  was  made  sacred,  and  circumcision 
and  oracles  came  later  to  keep  alive  this  sense  of  its 
sacredness.  Yet  Abraham  was  willing  to  risk  his 
wife's  being  taken  by  another,  and  does  not  seem  to 
have  considered  it  a  grave  evil.  Polygamy  arose 
early,  flourishing  before  the  flood;  and,  while  there 
appears  to  have  been  no  polygamy  in  Noah's  family, 
we  find  it  wide-spread  in  the  patriarchal  age  and 
among  the  patriarchs  themselves,  except  in  the  case 
of  Isaac.  The  custom  of  sub-wives,  whose  children 
were  counted  as  the  children  of  the  upper  wife,  is 
a  form  of  polygamy  in  the  families  of  Abraham  and 
Jacob.  And  simple  concubinage  was  practiced  as  a 
matter  of  course  by  both  Nahor  and  Abraham.  Pros- 
titution was  everywhere  without  serious  rebuke.  And 
certainly  in  places  other  forms  of  sexual  perversion 
were  prevalent.  And  there  were  no  limitations  on 
marriage  between  kin.  In  the  nature  of  the  case, 
brothers  and  sisters  married  one  another  at  the  be- 
ginning; and  Abraham  married  his  half-sister,  and 
Nahor  his  niece,  without  thought  of  wrong.  The 
custom  of  the  levirate,  requiring  a  man  to  marry  his 
deceased  brother's  widow,  if  the  brother  died  child- 
less, and  to  count  the  children  of  the  new  union  as 
children  of  the  deceased,  was  rigidly  fixed  among  the 
patriarchs  and  their  neighbors.  In  all  ages  inter- 
marriage between  peoples  has  been  potent  in  influence; 
and  the  Genesis  ages  were  not  an  exception. 

Marriage  involved  the  first  form  of  subordination ; 
for  even  before  subjection  of  wife  to  husband  was 


274     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

uttered  in  3.16,  the  idea  was  present  in  calling  her  a 
help  to  him,  2.18,  20.  Yet  where  marriage  had  its 
sacredness  recognized,  the  free  woman  was  supposed 
to  give  her  consent,  as  in  the  case  of  Rebekah,  chap. 

24. 

The  next  form  of  subordination  is  that  of  child  to 
parent.  This  authority  reached  over  the  immediate 
children  to  the  grandchildren  and  remoter  descend- 
ants. This  patriarchal  authority  manifests  itself  most 
strikingly  when  the  patriarch  appoints  the  relations  of 
his  descendants  for  the  future,  his  word  having  the 
authority  of  an  oracle  as  well  as  a  testament. 

The  third  form  of  authority  to  arise  was  that  of 
older  brother  over  younger,  especially  of  the  firstborn 
over  the  younger  children.  Necessarily  the  firstborn 
would  exercise  a  sort  of  control  over  his  infant 
brother,  and  thus  the  habit  would  start  and  grow  into 
a  binding  custom;  and  on  the  death  of  the  patriarch 
the  oldest  son  naturally  took  his  place  as  head  of  the 
tribal  family.    Thus  the  tribal  unity  was  preserved. 

As  the  tribe  expanded  the  chief  became  a  hereditary 
king;  and  everywhere  in  the  patriarchal  period  we 
see  kings  and  their  courts.  But  there  necessarily 
developed  also  a  scale  of  superiors  and  subordinates, 
so  that  there  were  rulers  under  rulers,  as  in  Egypt, 
and  perhaps  in  Edom.  The  father  was  the  head  of 
the  family  in  religion.  Hence  he  was  a  priest-father, 
and  became  a  priest-patriarch,  and  a  priest-king,  as 
Melchizedek  and  Abraham  both ;  but  there  arose,  not 
only  subordinate  rulers,  but  also  subordinate  priests; 
and  so  after  a  time  a  class  of  priests,  as  there  arose 
classes  of  rulers.  So  authority  tended  to  caste.  There 
was  developed  one  way  of  escape  from  stratification 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  275 

of  society  into  hereditary  castes,  the  way  of  agree- 
ments and  covenants  as  between  equals.  So  there 
were  even  confederacies  between  kings,  between  tribes, 
between  cities,  which  seem  to  have  been  really  each  a 
settled  tribe  or  an  alliance  of  settled  tribes.  But  the 
cities  do  not  seem  to  have  been  republics,  but  govern- 
ment was  everywhere  monarchical,  more  or  less 
modified  by  what  we  may  call  oligarchies. 

Kinship  and  association  made  for  holding  the  tribe 
together  as  it  grew,  and  intermarriage  and  other  com- 
mon interests  in  the  struggle  with  nature  and  with 
human  enemies  would  often  tend  to  unite  distinct 
tribes.  This  unifying  tendency  showed  itself  in  the 
bold  attempt  at  Babel,  and  largely  realized  itself  in 
such  kingdoms  as  Egypt.  But  disagreements  and 
diverse  interests  would  tend  to  disintegration,  and 
this  we  see  at  work  effectively  among  the  descendants 
of  Terah.  Such  division  would  receive  a  powerful 
check  in  peoples  that  became  land-owners,  and  more 
especially  where  the  land  was  owned  by  the  tribe  or 
its  government. 

Sometimes  instead  of  separation  there  would  be 
banishment  out  of  the  tribe.  Such  banishment  was 
the  penalty  of  murder  before  the  flood;  but  after  the 
flood  the  banishment  was  effected  by  putting  to  death. 
Other  offences  came  to  be  punished  with  death,  or 
imprisonment,  as  in  Egypt  and  by  the  Jacob  clan  at 
Shechem  in  the  case  of  Hamor's  son.  In  Egypt  the 
king  had  a  body  of  executioners.  The  cruelties  of  that 
fierce  time  are  indicated  in  the  Genesis  records,  but 
only  incidentally.  Witness  the  decision  of  Judah  to 
put  Tamar  to  death  as  a  matter  of  course. 

War  was  raging  constantly.     Even  before  the  flood 


2y(>     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

men  became  famous  by  war.  The  tribe  had  its  men 
organized  as  a  mihtary  force,  as  even  Abraham's  clan. 
And  in  the  more  highly  developed  little  kingdoms, 
as  Abimlech's,  there  was  a  standing  military  force — 
to  say  nothing  of  the  larger  kingdoms.  In  fact,  it 
was  by  war  and  forcible  subjugation  that  the  greater 
governments  were  built  up.  There  was  such  a  thing  as 
friendly  amalgamation,  and  there  were  such  things  as 
hospitality  to  strangers  (which  was  held  by  custom 
as  a  most  sacred  obligation),  and  treaties  and  cove- 
nants of  peace  and  friendship;  but  war  prevailed,  being 
one  of  the  three  conspicuous  evils  of  society  in  those 
ages.  The  other  two  were  polygamy,  of  which  we 
have  already  spoken,  and  slavery. 

There  is  no  mention  of  slaves  before  the  flood,  nor 
in  the  ark;  but  there  may  have  been  slaves.  If  there 
were,  they  would  hardly  have  been  mentioned;  and 
the  fact  that  Noah  has  language  in  which  to  express 
the  curse  of  servitude  indicates  that  the  thing  was 
already  familiar.  With  Abraham  and  the  other 
patriarchs  slavery  was  a  matter  of  course,  and  is  men- 
tioned in  the  narratives  only  incidentally.  Indeed, 
slavery,  which  grows  immediately  out  of  war,  afford- 
ing a  use  for  the  captives,  is  inevitable  except  where 
there  is  organized  force  strong  enough  to  prevent  it, 
and  minded  to  do  so.  As  practiced  among  the  patri- 
archs it  had  a  bright  side.  Deborah  was  the  object 
of  affection  and  honor,  like  a  mother.  A  slave  was  the 
manager  of  Abraham's  affairs,  and  at  one  time  his 
heir.  A  slave  became  sub-wife  to  Sarah,  and  the  like 
thing  was  repeated  in  the  family  of  Jacob.  And 
slaves  were  circumcised  just  as  free  men.  Still  slavery 
was  there — the  fullest  expression  of  that  caste  spirit 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  277 

which  stratified  society  into  classes  from  the  slave  up 
through  the  tiller  or  the  shepherd  and  soldier  to  the 
priest  and  the  chief  and  the  king. 

Religion. — Referring  to  the  chapter  on  doctrines, 
it  is  sufficient  here  to  direct  attention  to  two  facts: 
that  idolatry  in  many  forms,  polytheistic  idolatry,  was 
well-nigh  universal;  and  that  there  were  in  the  times 
of  the  patriarchs  many  families  or  clans  that  wor- 
shiped the  same  God  as  Abraham;  but  even  where 
Jehovah  was  worshiped  there  was  usually  some  mix- 
ture of  hostile  idolatries. 

Biography. — Many  names  must  be  passed  over 
because  no  material  is  given,  and  others  because  too 
little  is  given  for  a  probable  construction  of  the  charac- 
ter, as  the  Pharaohs  and  the  Abimelechs,  Potiphar 
and  the  butler  and  the  baker.  Even  in  these  there  is 
temptation  to  conjecture,  but  it  is  not  safe.  One  fact 
there  is,  besides  other  differences  in  environment  and 
inheritance  between  them  and  us,  that  we  must  bear 
in  mind  in  any  effort  to  imagine  the  men  and  women 
of  Genesis, — their  long  lives.  We  will  take  them  up 
by  groups  and  individuals. 

Adam  and  Eve  are  too  representative  and  too  far 
away  for  us  to  distinguish  their  individual  character- 
istics. But  a  few  things  we  can  say.  Adam  was  not 
deceived,  while  Eve  was,  though  just  what  his  mind 
was  in  the  situation  we  cannot  tell ;  he  and  Eve  both 
accepted  the  covenant  grace  of  Jehovah ;  and  Eve 
took  the  intense  interest  natural  to  a  mother  in  her 
children. 

Cain  lacked  spiritual  insight  and  piety  and  kindness, 


278     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

but  was  masterful  and  able.  His  like  is  seen  in  his 
descendant  Lamech,  a  man  of  passion  and  anger,  in 
whom  and  in  whose  family  there  appeared  genius  for 
the  useful  and  fine  arts  and  for  poetry. 

Abel  and  Seth  were  alike  in  spiritual  insight,  Abel 
especially  having  as  great  a  genius  for  the  spiritual  as 
Cain  for  the  material.  But  Seth  followed  in  the  same 
direction,  and  instituted,  or  saw  instituted,  the  worship 
of  God  as  Jehovah. 

But  the  most  remarkable  of  the  Sethites  was  Enoch, 
who  walked  with  God.  He  brought  to  men  the 
deepest  revelation  of  the  age,  the  revelation  of  fellow- 
ship with  God  that  breaks  not  off  at  death.  His 
descendant  Lantech  is  w^orthy  of  mention  as  receiving 
the  revelation  of  Noah's  task.  But  Enoch  was  the 
great  man  of  the  antediluvian  age  spiritually,  as 
Lamech  the  Cainite  was  materially.  In  achievements 
that  can  be  seen  Noah  surpassed  him;  but  great  as 
Noah  was  as  a  prophet  and  a  leader,  and  larger  there- 
fore than  Enoch,  Enoch  has  his  unique  glory  that 
outshines  that  of  the  mightier  Noah. 

Noah's  sons  are  seen  in  one  flash:  Shem  and 
Japheth,  reverent;  Ham,  sensual  and  profane,  simply 
blind  to  the  deeper  things. 

Ninirod  rises  up  a  colossal  figure,  founder  indeed  of 
what  to  us  would  be  a  petty  kingdom,  but  what  in  his 
day  was  a  work  of  genius  like  Alexander's  or 
Napoleon's. 

Terah,  to  judge  from  his  setting  out  for  Canaan, 
and  still  more  from  his  children,  was  a  man  of  ex- 
ceptional grandeur  and  force.  His  sons  Nahor  and 
Ahram,  his  daughter  Sarai,  and  his  grandchildren 
Milcah  and  Lot,  were  all  great  personalities. 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  279 

Lot  would  perhaps  be  the  greatest  among  them, 
were  he  not  overshadowed  by  Abraham.  He  was 
righteous  and  pious  with  a  streak  of  selfishness  and 
covetousness.  He  lacked  the  magnanimity  of  his 
uncle,  but  stood  far  above  the  men  of  Sodom  in 
principles  and  practice,  and  far  above  his  wife  in 
spiritual  insight.  Careless  of  association,  he  was 
too  easily  influenced  by  the  standards  of  others.  His 
weakness  in  being  willing  to  yield  his  daughters  to 
the  rape  of  th^  rioters,  his  begging  to  escape  to  Soar, 
and  his  shameful  manipulation  by  his  daughters,  show 
a  degeneration,  which  began  in  his  choice  of  the  best 
for  himself  as  against  Abram. 

Sarah  is  the  greatest  woman  of  Genesis.  Her  worst 
fault  from  our  point  of  view  was  her  use  of  falsehood, 
of  w^hich  there  are  three  instances  in  the  brief  record; 
but  there  was  no  unfaithfulness  from  her  point  of 
view.  She  had  a  natural  curiosity,  and  a  healthy 
woman's  enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of  a  wife — 
was  truly  human.  Remarkable  for  her  beauty,  yet 
she  became  to  her  slave  woman,  and  perhaps  to  herself 
almost,  an  object  of  contempt  for  her  barrenness. 
But  in  her  utter  fidelity  to  her  husband,  whom  she 
loved  and  honored  to  the  utmost,  she  gave  her  slave 
w^oman  to  him  as  a  substitute  wife;  she  was  always 
herself  an  obedient  wife;  and  she  evoked  from  him 
tears  of  profound  sorrow  over  his  loss  of  her.  She 
passed  through  two  harems  without  being  touched 
by  either  king,  which  shows  her  resourcefulness.  She 
afflicted  Hagar,  after  first  overruling  Abram,  which 
shows  a  strength  and  determination  worthy  of  admir- 
ation, although  a  lack  of  tenderness  not  surprising 
in  a  woman  who  had  never  been  a  mother.     Then 


28o     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

indeed  her  clear-cut  demand  that  Hagar  and  Ishmael 
should  be  banished  from  Isaac  was  a  masterful  course. 
She  had  will.  She  had  efficiency.  She  had  faith. 
The  chang-e  of  her  name,  and  her  conception  of 
Isaac,  were  fruits  of  her  faith.  It  was  fitting 
that  this  heroine  of  faith  should  be  the  first  to 
have  a  permanent  home  in  the  soil  of  the  promised 
land. 

Abraham  was  a  falsifier;  he  used  falsehood  with- 
out a  twinge  of  conscience.  That  he  did  this,  and  even 
at  the  risk  of  having  his  wife  defiled  by  another  man, 
demonstrates  a  serious  defect  in  his  character.  But 
we  must  not  infer  from  it  that  he  was  what  we  would 
call  a  weak  man.  Throughout  his  long  life  of  175 
years  there  is  nothing  else  to  suggest  weakness.  One 
occasion  revealed  him  with  the  qualities  of  a  great 
general.  He  had  the  courage  to  rebuke  Abimelech  for 
permitting  wrong  to  be  done  him  and  entered  into 
a  definite  and  oath-bound  covenant  with  him.  In 
his  old  age  he  bought  Machpelah,  and  sent  his  servant 
to  his  kin  to  get  a  wife  for  Isaac,  as  well  as  sent  away 
from  Isaac  his  other  natural  sons,  pursuing  without 
wavering  his  ideal  to  the  last.  With  the  most  in- 
flexible will  he  joined  unusual  goodness.  He  had  in 
the  highest  degree  the  virtue  of  his  class,  hospitality; 
he  loved  his  son  Ishmael  with  much  devotion,  and 
prayed  for  him  just  as  he  earnestly  prayed  for  Lot 
and  even  for  Sodom;  he  was  magnanimous  with  Lot 
in  letting  him  have  the  first  choice  of  territory,  and 
afterwards  in  rescuing  him  from  captivity,  refusing  all 
reward  from  Lot  and  from  the  king  of  Sodom ;  and  it 
was  at  one  time  in  his  mind  to  make  his  faithful  serv- 
ant his  heir.     Thus  he  was  as  great  in  his  magna- 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  281 

nimity  as  in  his  ability.  But  his  distinguishing  glory 
lies  in  another  direction.  He  was  a  prophet,  and  as 
such  was  great  in  the  visions  and  the  theophanies 
granted  him.  He  walked  with  God,  and  was  his 
friend.  He  had  faith  to  accept  the  covenants  for  him- 
self and  his  seed,  to  pray  for  an  heir,  to  accept  circum- 
cision when  ninety-nine  years  old,  and  then  to  expect 
a  son,  to  obey  God  at  every  point  against  all  appear- 
ances, and  even  to  offer  up  Isaac  as  a  burnt- 
offering.  Nor  was  this  a  narrow  faith  of  a  sectarian 
kind ;  he  was  as  loyal  to  the  El  Elyon  of  Melchizedek 
as  to  the  Jehovah  of  Terah.  His  faith  went  back  of 
names  to  the  Reality,  and  came  to  an  understanding 
w^ith  God.  He  became  Abraham,  the  first  to  win  such 
a  recognition  from  Deity  as  a  change  of  name.  If  the 
mind  is  superior  to  the  body,  and  the  spirit  is  superior 
to  the  mere  intellect,  then  Abraham,  the  greatest  up  to 
his  time  in  faith,  which  is  the  highest  sort  of  spiritual 
achievement,  faith  in  God,  is  thereby  revealed  as  the 
greatest  hero  of  the  ancient  world.  Not  exempt  from 
defects  of  his  time,  like  falsehood  and  polygamy,  he 
rose  to  what  was  the  most  difficult  thing  for  his  times, 
such  faith  in  God,  and  so  deserves  to  be  called  the 
father  of  believers. 

Melchizedek  must  be  mentioned  here,  that  misappre- 
hensions may  be  removed.  He  rises  up  in  the  narra- 
tive a  priest-king  with  no  mention  of  ancestry.  This 
may  suggest  that  he  came  to  his  position,  a  position 
somehow  relatively  superior  to  Abraham,  without 
inheriting  it.  That  he  seemed  at  the  time  one  to  whom 
it  w^as  proper  that  Abraham  should  pay  tithes,  indi- 
cates that  he  was  in  his  character  a  man  of  grandeur. 
And  w^e  must  remember  that  he  and  Abraham  were 


282     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

only  two  among  a  number  who  in  that  age  worshiped 
the  same  God. 

Eliezer,  the  servant  of  Abraham,  at  one  time  stand- 
ing in  the  position  of  his  heir,  the  manager  of  his 
property,  the  guardian  of  his  son,  in  manner  and  senti- 
ment a  gentleman  equal  to  Abraham  himself,  faithful 
to  his  master  and  to  the  heir  that  displaced  him, 
cannot  be  passed  by  without  homage.  By  his  side  we 
place  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  a  slave,  yet  a  mother 
in  influence  and  the  wealth  of  love  that  she  evoked. 

A  third  slave  in  Genesis  is  Hagar,  an  Egyptian, 
passionate,  of  fiery  temper,  lacking  somewhat  in 
gravity  and  endurance,  yet  with  a  spiritual  vision  in 
which  she  brought  into  view  a  remarkable  revelation 
of  God's  attention  in  listening  and  seeing.  Her  son 
Ishmael  seems  to  have  inherited  more  his  mother's 
temper  and  fire  than  her  spiritual  life. 

Abraham's  son  Isaac  is  the  man  of  quiet  life  and 
temper,  of  intense  affection  for  mother  and  wife,  of 
a  receptive  mind  open  to  the  faith  and  the  falseness 
of  his  parents,  yet  escaping  from  polygamy  in  a 
marriage  of  pure  love,  and  a  prophet  obedient  to  God. 
He  is  the  lovable  man  of  Genesis. 

His  wife,  Rebekah,  was  remarkable  for  three  things, 
— generous  unselfishness,  an  inflexible  purpose  clearly 
apprehended,  and  a  faith  seeing  the  distant  and  hidden. 
With  this  spiritual  insight,  clearness  of  mind,  and 
generosity,  she  joined  a  cunning  falsehood  excelled 
by  no  other  character  in  the  book  this  side  the  serpent. 
She  and  Hagar  are  the  two  women  of  Genesis  to 
receive  oracles. 

The  elder  of  the  twin  sons  of  Isaac  and  Rebekah 
was  Esau.     He  had  the  animal   fulness  of  life  and 


THE   FACTS    OF    GENESIS  283 

conscious  strength  that  do  not  feel  the  need  of  de- 
ceiving; yet  he  did  not  honor  his  parents  in  their 
deeper  aims  and  ideals,  nor  did  he  scruple  to  meditate 
murder.  His  chief  characteristic  was  a  blindness  to 
the  spiritual;  he  did  not  appreciate  the  unseen.  Ac- 
cordingly he  sold  his  birthright,  despising  the  intan- 
gible good  or  honor  it  involved. 

His  brother  Jacob  was  his  opposite.  Esau  was 
spasmodic,  Jacob  persistent;  Esau  was  impulsive, 
Jacob  calculating;  Esau  was  frank,  Jacob  secretive; 
Esau  was  sensual,  Jacob  spiritual.  The  contradiction 
in  Jacob  was  between  his  cunning  deceit  and  his 
spiritual  insight;  he  was  naturally  capable  of  excelling 
as  a  scoundrel  or  as  a  saint.  His  name  was  an  index 
to  the  bad  side  of  him,  meaning  supplanter.  Accord- 
ingly he  cheated  Esau  out  of  his  birthright,  and  stole 
away  his  blessing  also;  he  outwitted  Laban  the  liar, 
and  finally  stole  away,  to  his  chagrin.  There  is  some- 
thing admirable  in  the  masterfulness  of  Jacob's 
cunning.  He  was  calculating,  and  saw  far  ahead. 
When  Leah  was  palmed  off  upon  him,  he  accepted  her, 
and  worked  right  on  for  seven  years  for  his  Rachel, 
planning  as  skilfully  now  as  when  later  he  was  about 
to  meet  Esau.  He  combined  persistent  industry  with 
farseeing  caution.  He  was  quiet  in  disposition,  hating 
violence,  but  never  relaxed  his  vigilance  or  took  any 
unnecessary  risk.  He  even  swore  Joseph  about  where 
to  bury  him ;  and  he  knew  where  he  intended  to  be 
buried.  Yet  this  cool  and  calculating  genius  of  con- 
trivance had  a  heart.  He  had  held  himself  in  hand  till 
seventy  years  old,  and  then  fell  in  love  with  Rachel, 
the  younger  daughter,  thus  putting  himself  at  a  disad- 
vantage.    He  later  loved  his  son  Joseph   above  his 


284     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

brethren,  as  later  still  Benjamin,  and  was  led  by  this 
love  to  most  unwise  favoritism,  his  natural  shrewd- 
ness and  his  large  experience  being  unable  to  direct 
his  heart.  But  this  very  weakness  gave  him  a  sort  of 
power  that  few  men  have,  a  peculiar  personal  persua- 
siveness. How  else  did  he  succeed  in  turning  away  the 
wrath  of  Laban,  and  winning  over  Esau  after  all  his 
wrongs  to  him  ?  He  was  a  winsome  deceiver,  a  fasci- 
nating liar ;  but  the  fascination  was  rooted  in  a  genuine 
affection.  And  there  was  a  still  better  side.  He  ex- 
celled in  the  peculiar  genius  of  his  people,  in  spiritual 
insight:  he  chose  the  invisible.  He  saw  the  unseen; 
and  when  he  beheld  the  vision  of  communion  between 
heaven  and  earth,  between  God  and  man,  he  made 
his  vow.  The  Invisible  became  the  great  reality  to 
him.  He  turned  from  his  own  strategy  to  plead  the 
promises  of  God.  He  wrestled  with  the  angel  all 
the  night,  not  to  escape  Esau,  which  was  already 
assured,  but  to  obtain  a  blessing  altogether  personal 
to  himself.  And  he  won,  becoming  Israel.  He  pre- 
vailed with  God,  who  wrought  a  revolution  in  Jacob 
himself.  Henceforth  he  quit  deception  and  condemned 
the  use  of  falsehood.  He  put  away  the  idols  of  his 
clan  when  he  went  up  to  Bethel  to  build  the  altar. 
And  he  waited  on  the  divine  direction  before  going 
down  to  Egypt.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  sufferings 
which  came  upon  him  through  the  deceit  of  his  sons, 
which  they  inherited  and  learned  from  him,  did  not 
embitter;  they  only  ripened  him  and  clothed  him  with 
dignity.  It  was  a  spiritually  great  man  that  stood 
before  Pharaoh ;  it  was  a  great  prophet  that  blessed 
his  grandsons,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  and  his  twelve 
sons,    with   impartial   justice   and   imperial   authority 


THE   FACTS   OF    GENESIS  285 

appointing  for  them  their  future.  Jacob  became 
Israel. 

Laban  had  all  the  meanness  of  Jacob  without  his 
spiritual  faith.  His  covetousness  wrought  with  his 
deceit  fulness  to  make  him  a  degenerate  from  the 
high  ideals  of  his  house. 

Of  his  two  daughters,  Leah  was  the  superior  in 
piety  and  strength.  Rachel  was  the  more  super- 
stitious and  the  more  given  to  falsehood.  Physically 
Rachel  excelled  in  appearance;  Leah,  in  vigor.  Yet 
both  held  to  the  true  God,  Rachel  giving  up  her  idols 
at  last. 

Among  the  twelve  sons  the  oldest  three  lost  their 
precedence,  Reuben  through  instability  and  lack  of 
self-control ;  Simeon  and  Levi  through  passionate 
violence  and  deceit  fulness. 

Jiidah  had  the  animal  bigness  of  Esau ;  but  under- 
neath this  something  of  the  insight  and  persistence  of 
Jacob.  But  his  characteristic  was  a  unique  frankness 
and  manliness,  a  courage  and  self-renunciation  for 
the  sake  of  others,  that  won  him  the  hearts  of  all. 
Not  always  so,  he  became  this  manly  leader.  It  was 
a  lion  heart  and  yet  a  tender  heart  that  made  that 
simple  plea  of  unsurpassed  eloquence  before  Joseph. 

The  most  distinguished  of  them  all  was  Joseph. 
He  combined  in  himself  the  manliness  of  Judah,  the 
wisdom  of  Jacob,  and  the  faith  of  Israel.  With 
capacities  of  the  highest  order  as  a  statesman,  he 
anticipated  Moses.  Excepting  a  little  touch  of  cen- 
surable pride  in  his  youth,  which  pleads  for  its  pardon 
a  consciousness  of  greatness,  and  a  little  touch  of  his 
father's  and  mother's  deceit,  if  not  falsehood,  he 
stands  out  the  faultless  man  of  Genesis,  almost  the 


286     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

greatest — if  we  did  not  forget  his  might  in  admiration 
of  his  personal  attractiveness. 

The  geographical  environment,  the  historical  in- 
heritance, the  revelatory  manifestations,  the  remark- 
able personalities,  the  course  and  eddies  of  events,  fit 
together;  but  take  out  the  reaHty  of  God  in  Genesis, 
and  the  Genesis  facts  become  an  inexplicable  jumble. 


CHAPTER   V 

THE  TEACHINGS  OF  GENESIS 

We  have  gone  through  the  book,  aiming  to  under- 
stand it  part  by  part,  and  to  let  the  whole  make  its 
impress  on  our  minds;  and  we  have  endeavored  to 
organize  its  facts  in  one  conspectus.  We  are  now  to 
gather  up  the  results  thus  far  obtained,  and  to  attempt 
the  more  serious  work  of  interpreting  the  book  as  a 
whole,  of  determining  and  stating  its  teachings.  The 
doctrines  of  Genesis,  the  teachings  of  the  book,  may 
be  grouped  in  connection  with  the  ideas  of  revelation, 
God,  man,  covenant,  worship,  fellowship,  and  future 
life.  This  order  is  believed  to  be  the  best  for  the  in- 
terpretative study  of  the  book.  The  reader  is  advised 
again  and  again  to  read  the  text  of  Genesis  and  to 
think  out  the  meaning  for  himself.  The  notes  given 
with  the  translation,  and  the  exposition  given  in  this 
chapter  are  but  aids  to  such  study.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  reader  will  consult  the  index  for  completing  the 
treatment  of  each  topic. 

Revelation. — The  discussion  of  this  subject  may 
begin  with  some  matters 

Preliminary. — In  the  center  of  the  book  is  Jacob's 
vision  of  a  ladder  between  heaven  and  earth ;  and  the 
w^hole  book  is  built  on  the  reality  of  communication 
between  heaven  and  earth,  between  God  and  man. 

The  divine  teaching  has  its  method  and  its  means. 
In  method  it  is  gradual  and  genetic.     It  is  gradual  in 

287 


288     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

that  it  proceeds  step  by  step;  and  it  is  genetic  in  that 
the  new  which  is  taught  always  grows  out  of  that 
which  has  ah-eady  been  taught.  The  means  of  divine 
teaching  are  facts  and  oracles.  Some  facts  are  revela- 
tory, in  this  special  sense,  and  some  are  not  thus  revela- 
tory. The  facts  of  nature  and  history  generally  are 
not  thus  revelatory,  although  all  that  is  and  all  that 
becomes  do  in  some  sense  make  known ;  but  some  facts 
are  intended  to  have  significance  like  words.  Such 
facts  w^e  call  revelatory.  They  need  to  be  certified  as 
revelatory,  to  be  presented  as  significant  acts.  Oracles 
are  word  communications.  The  divine  teaching  uses 
both, — by  oracles  pointing  out  and  interpreting  the 
facts,  and  by  facts  illustrating  and  confirming  the 
oracles. 

Facts. — Record  is  made  of  physical  facts  as  revela- 
tory, such  as  the  work  of  creating  and  making,  the 
flood,  and  the  destruction  of  Sodom.  These  facts 
are  not  recorded  from  the  scientific  point  of  view,  but 
as  facts  intended  to  reveal.  Other  facts  physically 
like  them  would  not  have  this  revelatory  value,  unless 
conjoined  with  oracles  or  recorded  in  oracular  narra- 
tives. Likewise  record  is  made  of  historical  facts 
of  many  kinds,  such  as  the  depopulation  by  the  flood, 
the  dispersion  from  Babel,  and  the  descent  into  Egypt. 
Other  like  historical  facts  do  not  have  this  revelatory 
office,  but  these  by  their  association  with  oracle  become 
an  integral  part  of  revelation. 

Impressions. — Distinguishable  from  these  objective 
facts  of  nature  and  history  are  subjective  impressions, 
some  of  which  may  be  revelatory,  that  is,  may  be 
used  by  God  as  means  of  making  known  his  mind. 
Here  we  may  place  the  series  of  natural  impressions 


THE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       289 

that  enter  into  the  determination  of  one's  course  of 
action,  constituting  a  part  of  a  guidance.  So  Abraham 
and  Jacob  and  Joseph  saw  themselves  to  have  been 
guided.  The  physical  forces  and  the  historical  environ- 
ment which  influenced  them,  the  fixed  tendencies  and 
the  occasional  accidents,  cannot  be  separated  from  un- 
explained impressions  influencing  the  course  of  action. 
That  Rebekah  went  with  Eliezer,  that  Judah  thought 
of  selling  Joseph,  and  many  turns  in  affairs  are  refer- 
able to  such  guiding  impressions.  Such  impressions 
may  escape  the  subject's  notice  at  the  time,  or  again 
they  may  be  so  strong  and  vivid  as  to  almost  compel 
compliance ;  they  may  come  when  one  is  awake  or 
when  one  is  asleep;  they  may  seem  to  the  mind  as  if 
impulses  from  within  or  as  if  visions  from  without. 
Now  such  impressions,  impulses,  dreams,  visions,  all 
men  have,  and  in  general  they  are  no  more  revelatory 
than  other  facts  of  the  outer  or  inner  world ;  but 
God  may  select  out  of  these  subjective  facts  of  nature 
and  history,  and  point  out  the  selected  facts  and  use 
them  as  revelatory. 

Theophanies. — There  is  a  still  higher  class  of  revela- 
tory facts,  which  we  may  call  theophanies.  These  are 
not  appearances  of  God  in  dream  or  vision,  but  mani- 
festations of  himself  to  man's  faculties  of  perception. 
In  these  theophanies  God  was  an  objective  reality 
perceived.  So  far  as  the  record  shows,  God  became 
visibly  manifest  always  as  a  man.  Men  saw  him, 
men  heard  him,  Abraham  entertained  him,  Jacob 
wrestled  with  him,  to  say  nothing  of  the  daily  theoph- 
any  to  Adam  and  Eve  in  the  Garden.  These  theoph- 
anies are  not  to  be  confounded  with  delusions  of  the 
imagination;  they  were  unique  realities. 


290     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

Oracles. — Highest  of  all  revelatory  facts,  belonging 
with  words  rather  than  with  facts,  are  immediate 
oracles, — word  communications  heard,  not  through 
men, — such  as  the  utterances  of  God  in  a  theophany. 
There  are  also  mediate  oracles, — word  communications 
taking  form  in  the  utterance  of  men.  These  two 
sorts  of  oracles  are  not  always  to  be  sharply  distin- 
guished, and  they  are  equally  word  revelations  from 
God,  including  both  such  a  theophanic  utterance  as 
Jehovah's  words  to  Adam  and  Eve  after  their  dis- 
obedience, and  the  written  record  throughout  as  it 
lies  before  us  in  Genesis. 

Inspiration. — That  work  of  God  which  he  does  in 
or  upon  the  man,  enabling  him  to  receive  and  give 
oracles,  we  may  call  inspiration ;  and  the  man  thus 
speaking  for  God,  or  in  and  through  whom  God  thus 
speaks,  is  a  prophet.  In  this  sense  Adam,  Noah,  Abra- 
ham, and  Israel  are  all  prophets.  The  compiler  of 
Genesis  is  a  prophet,  and  all  Genesis  is  prophetic. 

Evidences  of  prophecy. — The  evidences  of  inspir- 
ation are  the  immediate  certainty  of  the  prophet  in 
an  experience  not  explicable  to  uninspired  men ;  the 
genetic  unity  of  all  prophetic  teaching;  the  accompany- 
ing signs  in  such  facts  or  works  of  power  as  show 
God  to  be  then  and  there  acting  on  purpose  in  connec- 
tion with  the  prophet,  or  miracles ;  and  subsequent 
signs  in  fulfillment  of  predictions  contained  in  the 
prophetic  teaching. 

God. — Foremost  among  the  teachings  of  Genesis  is 
its  doctrine  of  God. 

Basal  conception. — The  divine  Being  of  Genesis  is 
One.     This  unity  of  God  lies  at  the  basis  of  all  the 


THE    TEACHINGS   OF    GENESIS       291 

teachings  of  Genesis;  yet  it  is  not  presented  as  in 
contradiction  to  plurality.  The  explanation  is  that  the 
first  revelation  came  to  men  before  they  had 
developed  the  error  of  polytheism;  for  if  the  first 
narratives  of  Genesis  had  been  first  composed  by 
prophets  in  conflict  with  polytheism,  they  would  have 
presented  the  divine  unity  in  the  form  of  contradiction 
to  such  polytheism.  None  the  less  is  monotheism  un- 
mistakable and  basal  in  Genesis  from  the  beginning. 
This  original  monotheism  is  carried  through  the  book ; 
and  if  we  should  think  we  see  in  some  of  the  earlier 
revelations  possible  suggestions  of  some  sort  of  plu- 
rality in  God,  they  are  too  faint  to  justify  us  in  cer- 
tainly concluding  that  they  foreshadow  the  doctrine  of 
the  trinity,  and  such  suggestions  are  not  found  later  in 
the  presence  of  the  then  surrounding  polytheism. 
This  One  God  of  Genesis  is  One  Person.  Not  only 
has  he  consciousness,  understanding,  and  will,  but  he 
is  also  a  center  of  rights  and  obligations.  He  can  and 
does  have  obligations  to  men,  and  men  have  obligations 
to  him.  This  ethical  element,  that  it  can  be  said  of 
him  He  ought,  and  of  others  in  relation  to  him  They 
ought,  this  ethical  element  of  personality,  as  essen- 
tial to  personality  as  consciousness,  is  conspicuous  in 
the  covenant  God  of  Genesis.  Abd  this  One  Person 
is  Creator  of  all  but  himself.  The  world  is  neither 
eternal  nor  derived  from  the  eternal,  but  is  created 
by  the  Eternal.  Even  after  the  original  creation  there 
were  two  creations,  animal  and  man.  These  three, 
unity,  personality,  creatorship,  enter  into  the  basal 
conception  of  the  Deity  of  Genesis. 

Miracle     and     Evolution. — But     whether     strictly 
creating  or  working  upon  that  which  he  had  already 


292     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

created,  this  Creator  and  Maker  works  gradually  and 
uniformly,  developing  a  consistent  plan.  If  the  word 
evolution  were  not  so  liable  to  be  misunderstood,  we 
might  say  that  the  divine  method  is  evolution,  being 
ever  a  gradual  and  consistent  development  according 
to  plan ;  but  the  whole  process  has  its  beginning  in  a 
creation,  its  first  continuance  with  creations,  and  its 
further  continuance  with  the  continuous  energy  and 
ceaseless  control  of  the  Originator,  and  his  demonstra- 
tion of  himself  in  signs  of  his  presence  and  will. 
These  miracles,  however,  do  not  break  the  continuity 
of  the  process;  the  supernatural  is  not  unnatural. 

Lordship. — The  God  of  Genesis  is  therefore  Owner 
and  Ruler  of  all  things  and  persons,  the  Lord. 

Likeness  of  God  to  man. — Yet  this  Creator  and 
Lord  of  all  is  like  man.  When  he  makes  himself 
visible,  he  is  as  a  man.  Man  is  created  in  his  image 
or  likeness.  And  in  a  special  sense  the  life  in  man  is 
the  breath  of  God. 

Divine  names. — The  six  names  or  terms  recognized 
as  appropriate  to  him  are  significant.  Sometimes  he 
is  El,  the  Mighty  One,  Deity,  a  term  common  to  He- 
brew and  kindred  languages.  Occasionally  he  is 
Elyon,  Most  High,  always  with  El;  and  occasionally 
also  Shaddai,  the  Terrible  (?)  One,  nearly  always 
with  El.  These  terms  embody  some  sense  of  the 
greatness  and  awfulness  of  Deity.  The  most  common 
term  is  Elohim,  expressing  at  once  the  same  idea  of 
his  might  together  with  the  manifoldness  of  his  activ- 
ities. But  fuller  still  of  revelation  is  Jehovah  (Heb. 
perhaps  Jahveh  or  Ya-hzveh).  It  designates  the  divine 
Being  as  making  and  keeping  covenant.  Adonai,  Lord, 
occurs  a  few  times  in  direct  address. 


THE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       293 

Grace. — This  brings  us  to  the  character  of  the  Being 
who  is  great  enough  to  make  and  to  administer  the 
world.  His  grace,  his  friendship  for  man,  is  his  most 
prominent  characteristic.  This  grace  it  is  that  ex- 
presses itself  in  covenant.  This  gracious  friendship 
he  had  for  man  before  the  disobedience;  it  persists 
afterwards,  making  them  his  sons ;  yea,  it  will  persist 
even  in  God's  providing  for  himself  a  satisfaction  for 
human  guilt. 

Man's  Origin. — This  grace  shows  itself  even  in 
man's  origin :  in  God's  creating  him  in  his  own  image, 
and  setting  him  in  nature  and  mission  apart  from  all 
other  creatures.  It  appears  also  in  the  sympathetic 
appreciation  of  Adam's  loneliness,  and  the  building 
for  him  a  suitable  companion  out  of  his  own  flesh  and 
bone. 

Divine  Guidance. — This  grace  of  God  shows  itself 
also  in  his  teaching  and  guidance.  In  theophanies  he 
manifested  himself  as  a  companion;  in  prophecy  he 
made  himself  an  instructor;  and  in  his  providence 
he  gives  himself  as  a  protector  and  guide.  By  promises 
he  soothes  his  children  through  the  experience  of 
necessary  discipline.  And  the  very  method  of  his 
teaching,  little  by  little  as  man  can  bear  it  and  slowly 
learn,  shows  the  patience  of  Jehovah.  Jehovah  is  the 
Gracious  Guide.  At  the  same  time  he  is  just.  He 
is  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  and  will  do  right.  With- 
out compromise  he  punishes  sin.  It  may  grieve  him; 
but  the  God  of  Genesis  drove  man  out  of  the  Garden, 
drowned  mankind  in  the  flood,  overthrew  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  and  to  his  chosen  brought  home  their  sins. 
Witness  how  every  sin  brings  its  own  penalty  through 
all,   down   to  the   humiliation   and   fear  of   Joseph's 


294     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

brethren.  With  equal  exactness  God  rewards  the 
righteous.  He  renders  to  every  one  according  to  his 
doings.  And  the  problem  of  Genesis  is  how  Jehovah 
can  be  thus  gracious  and  thus  just  to  man. 

Fellowship  with  Men. — Yet  Jehovah  does  succeed 
in  being  gracious,  even  to  the  point  of  friendship's 
communion.  As  Adam  had  his  life  with  God  before 
his  disobedience,  so  we  see  afterwards  a  reapproach 
to  such  fellowship,  until  we  behold  Enoch  walking 
with  God  and  taken  finally  to  be  with  him.  Like 
friendship  with  God  is  repeated  in  the  case  of  others, 
as  notably  with  Abraham.  By  special  experiences  of 
God's  gracious  presence  certain  places  became  associ- 
ated with  him,  and  thus  were  felt  to  be  sacred.  More- 
over, he  holds  himself  ready  to  hear  the  call  of  his 
human  friends,  and  to  come  to  their  comfort  and  aid. 
This  is  the  doctrine  of  prayer.  Yea,  when  a  man  is 
ashamed  to  be  with  God  and  finds  himself  without 
capacity  to  enjoy  him,  this  Great  Friend  makes  for 
him  a  covering  and  transforms  his  character.  So 
he  began  with  the  shrinking  A^am  and  Eve,  and  so 
he  ended  with  Jacob  become  Israel.  Jehovah  will 
make  a  man  whose  character  is  offensive  to  him  to 
become  a  congenial  friend. 

Such  a  God  is  the  Jehovah-Elohim  of  Genesis. 

Man. — Genesis  is  full  of  teaching  concerning  man. 

Unity  of  Mankind. — The  unity  of  mankind  is  basal 
in  Genesis.  The  history  begins  anew  from  the  flood, 
which  destroyed  all  but  one  family,  from  which  all 
nations  are  descended.  And  all  the  nations  and  races 
are  living  under  the  great  covenant  made 
through   Noah   and     his   sons;    for   there   is   both   a 


THE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       295 

covenantal  and  a  racial  unity  of  all  the  human  races. 
This  one  family  that  came  out  of  the  ark  spoke,  of 
course,  one  language;  but  their  language  was  con- 
founded and  split  into  many  languages.  Thus  from 
Babel  as  a  starting  point  the  different  races  were  scat- 
tered over  the  earth.  Yet  each  people  belongs,  under 
the  common  covenant,  to  God,  while  each  has  its  own 
distinct  mission.  Thus  the  unity  of  the  race  holds  the 
fragments  together  in  the  divine  plan. 

Genetic  Unity  of  Mankind. — This  historical  and 
racial  unity  is  genetic.  Out  of  the  rib  of  one  individ- 
ual, Adam,  God  built  a  woman,  who  became  the  mother 
of  all  living;  and  from  these  two  were  descended  by 
generation  and  birth  the  family  that  came  out  of  the 
ark  (and  any  branches  that  may  possibly  have  strayed 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  flood),  and  thus  all  the  races 
and  individuals  of  mankind.  The  constitution  of  so- 
ciety is  grounded  on  sex.  Woman  was  made  for  man. 
She  is  therefore  his  equal  as  a  companion,  and  his 
subordinate  as  a  help.  Marriage  and  parenthood  were 
commanded  in  the  beginning  and  honored  through- 
out Genesis.  Children  are  subjected  to  parents 
and  descendants  to  patriarchs ;  thus  government  arises 
and  is  perpetuated  through  birthright.  The  abuses  of 
this  order  in  concubinage  and  polygamy,  and  in 
slavery,  which  are  not  explicitly  condemned  in  Genesis, 
do  not  do  away  with  the  original  constitution.  All 
mankind  was  in  Adam.  Eve  came  out  of  him,  and 
all  others  out  of  them.  And  the  child  is  the  likeness 
of  the  parents.  Hence  all  humanity  is  an  ethical  unity, 
one  responsible  personality.  So  each  family  of  parents 
and  children  is  an  ethical  unit,  and  each  community. 
Hence  the  remarkable  place  given  in  Genesis  to  gene- 


296     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

alogies.  And  this  race  unity  justifies  the  original 
marrying  of  brother  and  sister.  It  grounds  the  hein- 
ousness  of  irreverence  toAvards  parents.  And  it 
grounds  the  covenanting  by  God  with  children  and 
posterity  through  their  parents,  as  we  see  in  all  the 
covenants,  and  especially  in  the  Abrahamic  covenant. 
This  genetic  unity  also  grounds  heredity.  Even  par- 
ticular sins  and  the  penalty  of  them  descend  to  chil- 
dren, and  the  general  tendency  to  sin  descends  to  all. 
Nor  is  it  possible  to  separate  between  the  tendency 
and  the  guilt ;  Genesis  binds  up  parent  and  child,  Adam 
and  mankind,  in  one  responsible  personality.  There 
is  race  sin,  and  race  guilt ;  family  sin,  and  family  guilt. 
Here  is  another  of  the  problems,  how  each  can  receive 
according  to  his  own  doings,  and  yet  all  share  in  racial 
sin  and  righteousness;  but  the  fact  remains,  and  the 
interplay  of  community  and  individuality  makes  Gene- 
sis a  drama.  Even  salvation  is  to  come  through 
children;  the  seed  of  the  woman  is  to  save.  Im- 
provement, as  well  as  deterioration,  come  through 
parenthood.  Hence  the  great  thing  in  Genesis  is  the 
sacredness  of  the  potentiality  of  parenthood,  and  its 
consecration,  as  signified  in  circumcision. 

Sex. — It  is,  then,  impossible  to  understand  Genesis 
apart  from  the  matter  of  sex.  Sin  originated  in  man 
and  woman,  not  in  either  alone.  Its  first  effect  was 
shame,  inseparable  from  sex.  Here  sin  is  rooted,  and 
hereby  corruption  grows.  When  marriage  is  deter- 
mined by  mere  desire,  and  not  by  holy  love  that  makes 
foremost  companionship  and  friendship  and  sexual 
intercourse  subordinate,  then  increasing  corruption 
comes.  Polygamy  and  concubinage  is  but  the  further 
outworking    of    this    transgression    of    the    original 


THE    TEACHINGS   OF   GENESIS       297 

monogamy  between  two  friends  in  covenant  with 
Jehovah.  As  long  as  the  sacredness  of  male  and 
female  is  not  felt  profoundly,  and  man  and  woman 
lightly  sin  as  potential  parents,  the  uplift  and  redemp- 
tion of  the  race  is  impossible. 

Man's  Constitution. — Turning  from  this  distinction 
of  sex,  we  must  look  at  man  as  man.  He  was  made 
in  the  image  of  God.  So  far  is  this  true  that  even 
God,  become  visible,  is  as  a  man.  This  son  of  God 
originally  was  innocent,  positively  innocent,  and  not 
merely  ignorant;  and  he  really  lived  in  congenial 
friendship  with  God.  The  Garden  of  Eden  is  not  a 
myth,  but  the  basis  of  all  history,  the  key  to  the  under- 
standing of  man.  It  is  essential  to  note  that  man  has 
a  twofold  nature.  He  is  the  progeny  of  both  heaven 
and  earth.  He  was  so  created  as  not  to  be  kin  to  ani- 
mals, at  least  on  one  side  of  his  being,  which  lies  over 
against  God ;  on  the  other  side,  which  lies  over  against 
things,  he  is  made  an  animal,  is  dust  like  them.  He 
unites  heaven  and  earth  in  himself,  being  God-like  and 
animal-like  at  the  same  time.  He  can  live  after  the 
manner  of  God  in  his  flesh,  and  never  die ;  or  he  can 
live  after  the  manner  of  the  beast  in  his  spirit,  and 
sink  into  corruption  and  death. 

The  Disobedience  and  Its  Fruit. — Thus  endowed 
man  disobeyed,  eating  the  forbidden  fruit.  Shame 
came,  blame  came.  Jehovah  expelled  him  from  the 
Garden,  cast  him  off  from  the  tree  of  life,  and  sent 
him  out  under  sentence  of  death.  Thus  separated 
from  God  he  develops  ethically  only  into  sin.  False- 
hood, covetousness,  slavery,  idolatry,  with  polygamy, 
follow  murder  in  the  growing  corruption ;  and  ruin 
follows    corruption    without    ending    the    corruption. 


298     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

Splendid  advance  is  made  in  the  arts  and  sciences  of 
civilization,  but  the  moral  corruption  continues  and 
intensifies.     Humanity  is  doomed  to  death. 

God's  Faith  in  Man. — Yet  Jehovah  does  not  lose 
faith  in  man,  in  his  capability  of  being  saved,  and 
saved  from  within.  He  promises  that  the  seed  yet 
to  come  shall  redeem.  Meanwhile  he  disciplines,  he 
endures,  he  awakens  hope  and  faith,  he  reveals,  he 
holds  all  men  in  covenant,  he  selects  and  makes  a 
group  of  friends,  he  sets  about  the  saving  of  the  race 
through  the  chosen,  and  he  never  gives  up  his  purpose 
of  grace.  This  sublime  persistence  of  Jehovah-Elohim 
in  his  gracious  purpose  demonstrates  a  potential  worth 
in  man  inconceivable. 

Covenant. — Genesis  might  be  called  the  Covenant 
Book.  These  two  parties,  God  and  man,  stand  to 
each  other  in  the  relation  of  covenant,  of  agreement 
between  persons. 

Grace. — That  God  entered  into  covenant  with  man 
is  an  expression  of  his  grace  toward  him.  This 
gracious  favor  of  God  w^as  not  originated  by  sin.  It 
showed  itself  in  God's  making  man  in  his  own  image, 
in  actually  entering  into  gracious  covenant  with  man 
as  man  before  man  became  a  sinner,  and  in  placing 
him  in  the  Garden  and  every  way  manifesting  to 
him  parental  kindness.  This  gracious  favor  was  not 
ended  by  man's  sin.  While  after  the  disobedience 
came  the  expulsion  from  the  Garden,  yet  this  was 
not  without  a  new  covenant.  Corruption  brings  the 
flood,  but  the  anger  of  God  is  also  a  grief  over  sin. 
A  new  covenant  follows  the  flood,  and  the  colors  and 
curve  of  the  rainbow  will  henceforth  through  all  the 


THE    TEACHINGS   OF    GENESIS       299 

generations  assert  to  mankind  the  covenant  kindness 
of  their  Great  Friend.  And  as  therein,  so  ever  is 
it  the  nature  of  God  to  do  good  to  many  for  the  sake 
of  the  few  or  of  one.  This  grace  shows  itself  in 
revelation  and  the  method  of  revelation.  In  the 
fraternal  theophanies  and  the  paternal  guidance  God 
makes  himself  companionable  to  man  even  after  the 
disobedience.  Even  in  the  severities  of  discipline  and 
destruction  this  grace  is  sure.  For  the  destruction  of 
some  is  in  order  to  the  safety  of  others ;  and 
severity  to  those  who  do  not  have  to  be  destroyed  is 
discipline,  restraining  and  correcting  and  developing, 
that  they  may  attain  to  the  good,  even  the  better  com- 
panionship with  God.  And  this  our  covenant  Friend 
is  ever  ruling  in  all  things  for  us,  his  providence 
omitting  nothing.  And  when  he  calls  us  to  consecra- 
tion of  ourselves  to  him,  surrendering  even  life  to  him, 
such  consecration  is  not  to  destruction,  but  really  to 
better  life,  to  fuller  companionship  with  God.  And 
that  which  no  sacrifice  by  ourselves  can  make, — atone- 
ment for  guilt, — God  provides,  so  that  what  must  be 
presented  to  him  for  us  he  furnishes  as  from  us  and 
for  us. 

Sin. — In  contrast  with  divine  grace  is  human  sin. 
As  already  said,  sin  could  not  end  the  grace;  rather 
it  gave  occasion  to  a  new  manifestation  of  the  grace. 
This  manifestation  was  made  in  the  protevangelium, 
or  first  gospel,  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  should 
bruise  or  crush  the  head  of  the  serpent.  For  if  we 
look  for  the  origin  of  human  sin,  we  must  look  outside 
the  race  for  the  tempter.  He  is  some  superior  intelli- 
gence, remembered  as  the  serpent  who  seduced  our 
race  to  disobedience,  and  rightly  thought  of  as  the 


300     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

great  enemy  of  mankind.  He  is  a  person  over  against 
that  other  Person,  God  our  Friend.  The  first  sin  was 
disobedience  to  this  Person,  and  so  every  subsequent 
sin.  Sin,  then,  is  hostihty  to  a  personal  God  under 
the  lead  of  the  personal  enemy  of  God  and  man. 
The  first  sin  brought  shame,  a  shame  inseparable  from 
sex.  While  we  have  not  the  means  of  now  understand- 
ing the  psychological  experience  of  Adam  and  Eve  in 
their  first  sin,  yet  somehow  it  was  as  woman  and  man 
that  they  sinned,  and  they  came  to  consciousness  of 
their  sin  in  a  sense  of  shame.  Not  only  is  the  cor- 
ruption of  the  race  thus  rooted  in  sex,  but  this  corrup- 
tion spreads  and  intensifies  through  wrong  marriage 
or  disregard  of  the  sanctities  of  marriage.  Specially 
important  are  sins  committed  by  men  and  women  as 
parents  or  as  potential  parents.  For  both  the  general 
tendency  to  sin  and  tendencies  to  particular  sins  are 
transmitted  from  parent  to  child ;  so  that  humanity 
develops  always  without  exception  into  sin-disposed 
individuals,  and  humanity  left  to  itself  is  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  a  growing  corruption.  In  truth 
there  is  no  human  individual  acting  apart  from  the 
rest  of  the  one  humanity,  apart  from  his  ancestry  and 
posterity.  By  the  ethical  unity  of  parent  and  child, 
which  is  the  ethical  side  of  heredity,  the  sin  of  the 
individual  is  the  sin  of  the  one  humanity  in  that  in- 
dividual, of  the  one  community,  of  the  one  family, 
in  that  individual ;  and  the  sin  of  Adam  is  the  sin  of 
the  race.  This  unity  of  the  race  puts  emphasis  on 
the  immeasurable  obligation  of  brotherhood,  making 
murder  the  greatest  sin  against  man,  and  irreverence 
for  parents  the  next.  It  is  from  this  point  of  view 
that   falsehood  can  be  seen  in   its  true  light.     Only 


THE    TEACHINGS   OF    GENESIS       301 

it  must  be  remembered  that  God  himself  by  covenant 
becomes  an  integral  member  of  the  community  of 
persons,  and  all  sin  is  against  the  divine-human 
brotherhood.  Hence  the  insult  of  idolatry  to  God. 
Covetousness,  too,  by  putting  things  above  persons, 
violates  covenant  obligation.  The  first  result  of  sin 
is  disturbance  of  the  covenant  fellowship.  So  our 
first  parents  were  driven  from  the  presence  of 
God  and  out  of  the  Garden.  And  Cain  was  driven 
out  from  his  presence.  This  severance  from  God 
is  one  side  of  the  consequence  of  sin;  the  other  side 
is  change  in  the  sinner  himself,  deterioration  in  his 
physical  and  moral  constitution,  ending  in  death.  Ruin 
follows  corruption  in  the  race  as  a  whole,  in  a  com- 
munity, as  Sodom,  and  in  the  individual ;  and  the 
ruin  is  absolute.  It  is  not  temporary  impairment,  but 
death.  And  penalty  is  ever  just.  It  is  not  arbitrary 
or  variable  and  uncertain;  but  penalty  comes  by  sure 
and  invariable  sequence.  If  sin  continues,  corruption 
grows,  and  the  end  is  death.  Thus  to  man  once  be- 
come a  sinner  there  would  be  evil,  and  only  evil, 
without  admixture  of  good;  but  from  God  there  is  a 
counteracting  of  sin,  and  some  arrest  or  delay  of  its 
penalty  even  for  those  who  are  ultimately  to  perish. 
Hence  there  is  a  mixture  of  good  and  evil  in  individual 
character,  and  in  communities  of  men.  Hence  there 
is  progress  in  civilization  in  spite  of  the  force  and 
growth  of  evil.  And  hence  there  is  some  good  use  of 
the  calamities  brought  on  by  sin,  as  the  dispersion 
of  the  nations.  But  the  sin,  ethical  badness,  is  not 
in  itself  tolerable.  It  is  utterly  offensive  to  God, 
unclean,  disgusting  to  his  taste  as  a  moral  being — a 
truth  which  finds  symbolic  expression  in  the  distinc- 


302     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

tion  between  clean  and  unclean  animals.  Not  only 
does  sin  disgust,  it  also  provokes  punishment.  It  thus 
provokes  because  it  is  ill-deserving.  Yet  somehow, 
somewhere,  there  is  a  remedy  for  even  this  guilt  of 
sin.  The  idea  of  sin-offering,  propitiating  God  as 
indignant  against  the  sinner,  comes  early  to  view. 
Yet  this  forbearance  with  sin  because  of  some  reality 
symbolized  by  sacrifices  is  by  God  as  in  covenant  with 
the  sinner.  Sin  is  a  violation  of  covenant,  and  the 
divine  forbearance  with  sin  is  a  covenant  kindness; 
and  if  there  ever  comes  deliverance  from  sin,  it  must 
be  through  covenant  grace. 

Covenant. — The  covenant,  then,  must  bulk  large  in 
the  relation  of  God  and  man.  The  name  of  God, 
Jehovah,  connotes  him  a  covenant  God.  Under  all 
his  dealing  with  man  is  the  covenant,  the  eternal 
agreement  binding  the  tw^o  together  in  one  society  of 
friends.  God  began  with  man  in  this  covenant,  de- 
manding reverence  and  obedience  as  God,  yet  offering 
himself  as  a  friend  and  a  companion.  And  all  the 
covenants  of  Genesis  are  developments  of  this  original 
covenant,  and  particular  applications  and  limitations 
thereof.  Hence  every  community  is  held  together 
by  covenant  obligations.  Hence  the  genealogies  of 
Genesis,  tracing  the  human  party  to  a  covenant ;  for 
the  covenant  of  God  is  with  the  children  through 
their  parents.  And  hence  the  fearful  sin  of  disrespect 
or  lightness  with  regard  to  sex.  Moreover,  as  every 
covenant  of  God  has  its  promises  from  him,  the 
essential  thing  in  man  as  a  party  to  the  covenant  is 
faith  in  the  promises  of  God.  Every  covenant  also 
has  its  divine  commands.  Thus  the  original  covenant 
gave  man  a  commission  to  multiply  and  to  rule,  and 


THE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       303 

required  him  at  every  step  to  obey.  Here,  then,  is 
the  essence  of  sin :  it  is  disobedience  to  covenant  re- 
quirement. Such  was  the  first  sin.  Hence  sin  entails 
the  covenant  penalty.  So  the  first  sin  banishes  and 
kills.  Death  would  have  been  immediate  but  for  the 
new  covenant  as  expressed  in  the  protevangelium. 
This  new  covenant  God  was  not  obliged  by  the  terms 
of  the  original  covenant  to  make,  but  he  was  not  by 
its  terms  restrained  from  making.  This  first  gospel 
was  a  covenant  with  all  mankind.  So  also  was  the 
Noachic  covenant,  made  with  Noah  and  his  sons  after 
the  flood,  promising  the  stability  of  the  earth  and  its 
seasons  pending  the  working  out  of  human  history. 
But  Shem  was  chosen  for  a  closer  relation  to  Jehovah 
than  Japheth  or  Ham ;  and  with  his  descendant,  Abra- 
ham, Jehovah  entered  into  a  special  covenant,  which 
underwent  enlargement  and  modification  until  it  stood 
thus, — a  promise  to  him  and  his  seed  through  Isaac, 
and  finally  through  Jacob  to  the  exclusion  of  Esau, 
to  possess  the  land  of  Canaan,  to  become  numerous 
and  great,  and  to  be  a  blessing  to  all  the  nations.  This 
chosen  race  was  to  be  the  people  of  Jehovah,  so  that 
those  who  blessed  them  should  therefore  be  blessed, 
and  those  who  cursed  them  should  themselves  be 
cursed.  Even  kindred  peoples  would  share  in  the 
benefits  of  the  favored  people.  But  to  Isaac  and  to 
his  seed  were  to  be  given  exclusive  privileges,  from 
which  other  peoples  were  debarred ;  yet  all  other 
privileges  were  in  order  to  this,  that  they  should  be 
a  blessing.  This  the  great  covenant  of  Genesis, 
Jehovah's  covenant  with  Israel,  was  sealed  by  circum- 
cision, the  cutting  away  of  the  foreskin  of  each  male. 
It  was  thus  a  blood  covenant,  ratified  in  human  blood ; 


304     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

and  it  especially  sanctified  the  potentiality  of  parent- 
hood. The  book  of  Genesis  is  the  history  of  the 
origin,  development,  and  establishment  of  circum- 
cision. While  circumcision  was  its  peculiar  seal,  yet 
its  ratification  stood  originally  in  sacrifices,  from  the 
sacrifice  of  the  five  animals  by  Abraham  to  his  sacrifice 
of  Isaac.  For  sacrifice  would  have  no  significance 
apart  from  covenant.  This  great  covenant  involved, 
besides  the  particular  promises  recited,  also  all  the 
divine  guidance  and  discipline  of  the  chosen  people 
necessary  to  fit  them  for  their  mission  among  the 
nations.  And  there  is  an  element  of  perpetuity  in 
this  covenant  not  to  be  overlooked  or  explained  away. 
This  covenant  people  was  to  remain  forever. 

Election  and  Selection. — As  in  the  covenant  with 
mankind  God  preferred  man  before  animals,  so  in 
the  covenant  with  Israel  be  preferred  this  people 
before  all  other  peoples.  This  principle  of  election 
and  selection  went  so  far  as  to  exclude  from  the  cove- 
nant not  only  all.  the  sons  of  Abraham's  concubines, 
and  Ishmael,  but  even  Jacob's  brother  Esau.  And 
this  preference  of  Jacob  before  Esau  was  independent 
of  the  relative  merits  of  the  two.  It  preceded  their 
birth ;  it  disregarded  the  customary  precedence  of  the 
firstborn ;  and  it  chose  the  worse  character  of  the 
two.  It  was  a  sovereign  election.  Yet  those  chosen, 
if  not  already  fitted  for  their  mission,  are  by  the 
divine  grace  ultimately  made  fit;  and  those  rejected, 
if  they  seem  not  to  be  ill-deserving,  yet  ultimately  be- 
come so  by  their  own  conduct.  Nor  does  any  sove- 
reign favor  exempt  the  favored  from  the  rule  of 
impartial  treatment  by  God  in  response  to  their  be- 
havior; nor  any  sovereign  absence  of  favor  exclude 


THE    TEACHINGS   OF    GENESIS       305 

the  unfavored  from  this  impartial  treatment.  How- 
ever, we  here  are  letting  our  plummet  into  one  of  the 
unfathomable  deeps,  and  we  must  be  dumb  when 
asked  to  measure  it.  But  it  stands  out  a  principle  of 
the  divine  election  to  privilege  that  it  is  always  an 
election  to  ministry. 

Israel. — All  these  principles  of  covenant  find 
exemplification  in  the  case  of  Israel.  Each  people 
has  its  own  mission.  From  among  the  sons  of  Noah 
Shem  is  chosen ;  from  the  Shemites,  Terah ;  and  from 
the  Terahites,  the  sons  of  Jacob.  And  even  among 
the  sons  of  Jacob  Judah  is  given  primacy,  and  each 
of  the  tribes  is  assigned  to  his  place.  This  was 
wrought  out  by  the  free  play  of  accidents,  of  the  voli- 
tions and  the  sins  of  men,  and  of  the  customs  of 
patriarchal  times  and  the  authority  of  patriarchs,  but 
running  through  all  was  the  voice  of  prophecy  and  the 
sovereign  purpose  of  Jehovah,  unveiling  its  preceding 
intention  in  its  subsequent  accomplishment.  Here  at 
last  we  have  Israel,  or  the  Twelve  Tribes,  a  covenant 
community,  an  ethical  unit,  appointed  and  now  to  be 
trained  to  a  special  mission.  This  training  requires 
its  segregation  already  secured  through  circumcision, 
and  its  discipline  already  prepared  for  by  its  descent 
into  Egypt.  And  this  chosen  Israel  is  the  seed  of  the 
woman  at  its  then  stage  of  development;  otherwise. 
Genesis  falls  to  pieces. 

Worship. — For  this  holy  people  of  covenant  there 
have  developed  modes  of  approach  to  their  covenant 
God,  or  Worship. 

Symbolism. — Here  it  is  fundamental  to  note  the 
symbolic    nature    of    the    things    used    in    worship. 


3o6     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

Sacrifices  could  never,  by  people  knowing  God  as 
Creator  of  all,  have  been  thought  to  give  him  any  real 
satisfaction  in  themselves;  they  must  therefore  have 
been  regarded  as  symbolic  expression  of  the  worship- 
er's mind.  So  clean  and  unclean  were  symbolic 
distinctions.  The  rainbow,  already  existing  without 
symbolic  significance,  was  by  appointment  made  a 
symbolic  sign.  And  circumcision  was  one  of  the 
richest  acts  of  worship  in  symbolic  meaning. 

Sacred  Things. — Thus  certain  things  became  so  as- 
sociated with  God  as  to  differ  from  other  like  things 
in  this  very  point.  First  among  these  was  the  seventh 
day,  which  was  made  sacred  in  contrast  to  the  other 
days,  so  that  the  observance  of  the  day  has  been  from 
the  beginning  a  symbolic  act  of  worship.  Such 
sacredness  was  beginning  to  attach  itself  also  to  places, 
to  the  promised  land  as  a  whole  and  to  certain  sites 
of  altars  in  that  land.  Even  as  to  the  tithe  there  is  at 
least  the  germ  of  this  sacredness. 

Sacriiices. — So  important  are  sacrifices  in  worship 
as  to  require  special  consideration.  Animals,  w^hich 
at  first  man  was  not  allowed  to  eat,  and  such  animals 
as  w^ere  associated  with  the  divine  grace  to  sinners  by 
God's  clothing  man's  shame  with  coats  of  their  skins, 
were  taken  as  sacrifices.  Thence  arose  the  distinction 
of  clean  and  unclean,  the  clean  being  symbol  of  such 
human  life  as  w^ould  be  acceptable  to  God.  For,  blood 
being  prohibited  still  after  flesh  was  granted  to  man 
as  food,  and  the  blood  being  the  life,  the  blood-offer- 
ing w^as  symbol  of  life  offered  to  God  as  a  gift.  The 
animal  sacrifice,  then,  w^as  in  place  of  human  life. 
Circumcision  with  its  human  blood  points  to  human 
life  as  the  real  offering  demanded  by  Jehovah;  and  the 


THE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       307 

rejection  of  even  Isaac  signifies  that  no  human  Hfe 
such  as  his  can  be  acceptable.  And  the  animal  sub- 
stitute for  the  unacceptable  human  life  points  to  some 
human  life  yet  to  be  provided  that  shall  be  acceptable. 
It  is  noticeable,  however,  that  the  death  to  which  the 
substitute  expresses  consecration  is  a  death  from 
which  there  is  to  be  resurrection — a  death  into  better 
life.  The  substitute  does  not  save  the  guilty  by 
perishing  in  his  stead,  but  by  passing  through  death 
into  appropriation  by  God.  The  sacrifice,  then,  is  the 
utterance  of  human  faith  in  God  as  gracious  to  the 
sinner.  The  sin-offering  confesses  the  sin  and  pleads 
the  gracious  acceptance  promised  in  covenant.  The 
burnt-offering  adds  special  emphasis  to  full  consecra- 
tion and  utter  self-surrender.  And  the  sacrifice  eater* 
by  the  worshiper  begins  to  express  faith  in  a  com- 
munion with  God,  enjoying  with  him  the  sacrifice  slain 
between  God  and  the  worshiper. 

Blood. — Blood  is  still  prohibited.  Blood  as  central 
in  sacrifice  does  two  things.  It  spells  life.  It  there- 
fore offers  the  life  to  God  in  covenant,  thereby  ratify- 
ing covenant.  This  is  the  office  of  blood — to  ratify 
covenant  between  God  and  man.  It  points  away 
to  a  sacrificial  life,  an  effectual  substitute  not  yet 
revealed. 

Propitiation. — But  why  blood  at  all?  Why  must 
there  be  death  ?  Sin  has  offended  God  and  provoked 
him,  as  he  foresaw  and  threatened,  to  the  penalty  of 
death ;  and  from  this  penalty  there  is  no  escape.  The 
substitute  by  death  makes  propitiation,  answers  and 
satisfies  this  demand  in  the  nature  of  God.  It  is  im- 
possible to  escape  this  doctrine  of  propitiation  as  a 
doctrine  of  Genesis. 


3o8     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

Propitiatory  Death. — But,  again,  the  propitiatory 
death  is  not  into  destruction.  Rather  is  it  into  com- 
munication, giving  itself  through  death  to  God.  And 
so  sacrifice  does  not  mean  that  God  is  cruel,  but  that 
he  seeks  to  recover  to  his  communion  and  fellowship 
the  life  alienated  from  him  and  lost  to  him  by  viola- 
tion of  the  covenant. 

Fellowship. — All  outward  worship,  then,  is  ex- 
pression of  man's  return  to  fellowship  wnth  his 
covenant  Friend;  and  this  inner  reality  is  seen  in 
Genesis  in  such  instances  as  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham, 
and  Israel. 

Faith. — This  fellowship  is  possible  through  faith, 
faith  in  Jehovah  as  promising  in  covenant.  Such 
faith  and  its  office  is  seen  in  every  one  of  God's 
friends,  but  it  is  explicitly  pointed  out  in  the  case  of 
Abraham.  It  belongs  to  God  to  propose  his  covenant ; 
to  me  to  accept  it.  In  no  case  did  man  ever  have  to 
comply  with  any  conditions  in  order  to  accept  such 
covenant,  but  only  to  accept  it.  The  sacrifices  were 
not  in  order  to  propitiate  God,  but  were  the  expres- 
sion of  man's  faith  that  God  would  provide  for  him- 
self the  necessary  propitiation,  and  on  the  basis  of  that 
divinely  provided  propitiation  offered  his  new 
covenant  to  human  acceptance.  Faith  is  simply  this 
acceptance  of  God  as  Friend  in  covenant.  Such  ac- 
ceptance is  righteousness.  It  is  treating  God  as  he 
ought  to  be  treated.  It  does  not  earn  grace,  it  ac- 
cepts grace;  but  to  accept  offered  grace  is  right.  To 
believe  God,  for  the  guilty  to  believe  God,  is  righteous- 
ness of  mind  toward  God ;  and  he  so  counts  it.  God 
and  the  believer  are  covenant  friends. 


TUE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       309 

Revolution  in  Character. — But  if  faith  is  itself 
righteous,  it  becomes  the  root  of  a  growing  righteous- 
ness of  character.  Having  faith,  a  man  may  be  in 
much  else,  and  even  in  the  imperfection  of  his  faith, 
offensive  to  Jehovah,  his  covenant  Friend.  Hence  his 
fellowship  with  God  may  be  at  a  minimum.  So 
Jacob's  when  he  was  cheating  Esau  out  of  his  birth- 
right, and  lying  him  out  of  his  blessing;  yet  he  had 
faith  in  Jehovah — to  him  Jehovah  was  a  reality. 
Now  the  believer  may  grow  into  full  fellowship,  be- 
coming more  and  more  companionable  to  God.  So 
did  every  patriarch,  and  Jacob.  But  there  may  come 
also  revolutions  in  character  all  at  once,  as  when  Jacob 
became  Israel. 

Prayer  and  Fellowship. — Such  a  revolution  does 
not  mean  cessation  of  growth.  It  is  but  an  entrance 
into  closer  fellowship  with  God.  Discipline  will  still 
go  on,  and  the  man  may  continue  to  become  more  and 
more  a  friend  of  God.  This  friendship  with  God 
means  prayer  and  intercession.  God  and  the  man 
walk  together  as  two  friends  in  converse  with  each 
other.  The  greatest  revelation  in  Genesis  is  this 
prayer  life  of  fellowship  with  God — a  gracious  reality. 

Future  Life. — Does  this  life  with  God  continue 
after  death? 

Other  Beings. — Let  us  reflect  that  Genesis  teaches 
the  reality  of  conscious  personal  beings  other  than 
men.  Such  are  God,  the  tempter,  angels.  There  is, 
then,  a  world  of  spiritual  personalities. 

Future  Life  for  the  Righteous. — Man  began  wnth 
a  promise  of  exemption  from  death.  If  Adam  had 
not  sinned,  he  would  have  lived  forever;  if  sin  had  not 


3IO     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

entered  the  race,  every  individual  would  have  re- 
mained forever  immortal.  If  the  seed  of  the  woman 
fulfills  the  first  gospel,  will  he  let  all  men  become  ex- 
tinct at  death?  Abel  is  dead;  yet  God  hears  his  cry. 
Is  this  a  mere  figure  of  speech?  Enoch  walked  with 
God,  and  he  was  not;  for  God  took  him.  This  cer- 
tainly means  that  his  life  with  God  continued  on. 
Here,  then,  is  one  man  living  with  God  all  the  while 
the  patriarchs  were  wandering  about  in  Canaan  anci 
in  Egypt.  Could  they  have  failed  to  believe  that 
their  own  walking  with  God  would  pass  on  into  con- 
tinued living  with  God?  Abraham  was  on  the  point 
of  putting  Isaac  to  death  and  burning  him  to  ashes, 
while  believing  that  this  same  Isaac  would  yet  become 
the  father  of  an  innumerable  posterity;  he  therefore 
expected  his  resurrection  out  of  his  ashes  on  Moriah, 
to  go  back  with  him  to  the  young  men  in  waiting. 
And  the  promises  were  to  the  patriarchs  and  their 
seed,  not  to  the  seed  alone  any  more  than  to  the 
patriarchs  alone;  and  the  patriarchs  expected  God  to 
keep  his  word  to  them.  The  truth  is  that  the  whole 
covenant  doctrine  of  Genesis,  making  Jehovah  and  his 
believer  friends  that  enjoy  each  other,  secures  the  con- 
tinuance of  this  as  long  as  God  cares  to  have  him — 
that  is,  forever.  It  never  occurred  to  the  Genesis  be- 
lievers that  they  and  their  Covenant  God  ended  their 
acquaintance  at  their  dying.  Consecration  never 
meant  to  them  extinction;  and  a  friend  of  God  was 
therefore  immortal.  The  mode  and  manner  of  that 
life  are  not  depicted.  It  was  not  the  mere  meta- 
physical immortality  of  the  soul  in  contrast  with  the 
body.  The  translation  of  Enoch  and  the  conceived 
resurrection  of  Isaac  exclude  that  conception.     But  it 


THE    TEACHINGS    OF    GENESIS       311 

was  life  with  God,  and  ultimately  a  living  in  a  great 
community  of  Jehovah  and  his  friends. 

Future  Existence  for  the  Wicked. — Whether  or  not 
the  wicked  live  on  after  death  Genesis  does  not  an- 
swer. Here  the  dumbness  is  awful.  We  can  stand 
on  the  edge  of  this  darkness  and  ask  questions,  but 
not  yet  can  we  hear  any  answer.  But  the  covenant 
friends  of  God  live  on,  and  live  forever. 


CHAPTER   VI 

PROGRESS  OF  DOCTRINE 

If  now  we  have  correctly  before  our  minds  the 
doctrines  of  Genesis,  it  will  help  us  better  to  understand 
the  book  and  to  see  its  relation  to  the  rest  of  Scripture, 
if  we  survey  the  beginning  and  development  of  these 
doctrines  as  they  appear  in  the  book.  This  progress 
of  doctrine  in  Genesis  we  may  treat  as  follows :  tak- 
ing up  each  great  branch  of  doctrine,  we  may  trace  its 
development  through  the  different  sections  of  the  book ; 
may  then  note  the  silences  of  the  book;  and  may 
finally  draw  some  conclusions. 

The  Main  Heads. — Taking  up  the  seven  heads  of 
doctrine,  we  begin  with 

Revelation. — The  first  section  is  wholly  theophanic 
narrative.  The  second  is  partly  theophanic  narrative, 
but  mostly  narrative  derived  from  human  eye-wit- 
nesses, as  all  that  follows;  but  it  records  theophanies 
and  theophanic  oracles.  At  the  same  time  also  there 
is  discovery  of  truth  by  divinely  guided  insight  before 
the  prophetic  oracle,  as  in  the  case  of  Abel.  In  the 
third  and  fourth  sections  appear  revelations  without 
its  being  made  clear  whether  they  were  given  in 
theophanies  or  not,  such  as  concerning  Enoch,  the 
shortening  of  human  life,  and  prophetic  promises  to 
him.  In  the  fifth  section  is  a  revelation  certainly 
without  a  theophany,  the  oracles  of  Noah  on  Shem 

312 


PROGRESS   OF   DOCTRINE  313 

and  Canaan.  In  the  seventh,  besides  such  theophanies 
and  oracles,  come  appearances  of  angels,  as  to 
Abraham  and  Lot,  and  fulfilments.  In  the  ninth  we 
have  also  visions  and  dreams,  as  to  Jacob,  much  of 
angels  and  fulfilments  at  a  farther  remove.  And  in 
the  twelfth  we  have  them  all,  and  dreams  especially, 
with  such  fulfilments  of  predictions  long  past.  The 
revelations  begin  in  simple  theophany,  and  become  in 
their  mode  more  and  more  varied,  descending  even  to 
dreams.  Along  with  all  go  works  of  power,  from  the 
creation  and  the  flood,  and  in  strikingly  diminishing 
degree  of  demonstration.  Fulfilment  of  what  has  al- 
ready been  given  becomes  increasingly  important. 
The  change  is  gradual,  but  it  is  noticeably  from 
theophany  to  non-theophanic  prophecy.  The  revela- 
tions are  a  genetic  whole,  growing  out  of  each  other. 
For  instance,  Abraham  is  supposed  to  be  acquainted 
with  what  we  now  find  in  the  first  six  sections  of 
Genesis,  and  Jacob,  when  he  finally  blesses  his  sons, 
with  the  prior  course  of  revelation  recorded  through- 
out the  book. 

God. — God  appears  at  first  as  Elohim,  Creator, 
manlike,  and  specially  interested  in  man.  Early 
comes  to  the  front  his  grace  to  man  as  his  covenant 
Friend.  The  disobedience  occasions  a  new  revelation 
of  grace  even  to  the  guilty,  yet  an  inexorable  execution 
of  punishment  for  sin  even  unto  destruction.  He  be- 
comes known  especially  as  Jehovah  in  gracious 
covenant.  He  discriminates,  destroying  some  and 
saving  some.  In  all  there  is  purpose  and  all-embrac- 
ing plan ;  and  ever  his  control,  universal  and  all- 
powerful  and  all-intelligent,  extending  to  accidents 
and  volitions  and  sins,  becomes  more  and  more  mani- 


314     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

fest.  Beginning  simply  as  man's  Good  Friend,  he 
gradually  shows  himself  to  be  truthful  and  just. 
And  as  his  terrible  hatred  of  sin  and  his  measureless 
grace  come  to  fuller  light,  Jehovah  himself  becomes  a 
more  awful  mystery.  Man's  Companion  gradually 
becomes  Israel's  Deity.  Noticeable  is  the  genetic 
connection  of  successive  revelations.  If  the  severity 
of  the  flood  had  come  without  the  prior  promises  and 
forbearances,  it  would  have  meant  cruelty;  and  if  it 
had  not  been  in  line  with  the  threat  of  death  and  the 
expulsion,  it  would  have  been  an  incredible  wonder. 
Equally  noticeable  is  the  gradual  movement  from  God 
creating,  through  God  controlling,  tow^ard  God  in- 
dwelling, and  from  personality  toward  infinity. 

Man. — Man,  like  God,  becomes  better  understood 
as  he  is  seen  in  action  longer  and  more  varied.  He 
appeared  first  in  the  image  of  God,  male  and  female, 
and  with  commission  to  rule.  Scarcely  is  his  capacity 
of  friendship  and  communion  with  God  discovered 
w^hen  he  disobeys  and  becomes  alienated  from  God. 
That  he  is  a  race,  a  genetic  organism  of  persons, 
parent  and  child  an  ethical  unit,  begins  to  show  itself 
and  gradually  acquires  fuller  demonstration.  At  the 
same  time  the  individual  in  Abel  over  against  Cain, 
in  Enoch  against  Lamech,  in  Noah  against  the  corrupt 
mass,  in  Abraham  against  Lot,  in  Jacob  against  Esau, 
in  Joseph  against  his  brethren,  comes  to  recognizable 
responsibility.  Thus  antithesis  of  community  and  in- 
dividuality is  wrought  out.  So  also  the  sin  develops 
in  the  race,  in  special  communities,  and  in  individuals ; 
and  yet  also  that  sin  may  be  counteracted  and  the  old 
communion  with  God  be  regained  is  shown  in  such 
individuals  as  Enoch  and  Abraham  and  Jacob,  and 


PROGRESS   OF   DOCTRINE  315 

even  a  beginning  is  made  toward  a  holy  community. 
The  unity  of  the  race  is  a  radical  truth,  which 
branches  out  into  the  distinctions  in  mission  of  the 
separate  peoples.  The  ultimate  development  into  two 
finally  distinct  and  sundered  parts  is  foreshadowed, 
the  one  part  to  perish  away  from  God,  and  the  other 
part  to  be  constituted  a  communion  of  friends  wath 
God. 

Covenant. — The  original  covenant  of  God  with 
man,  as  it  stood  at  the  disobedience,  appointed  man 
lord  of  all  the  earth,  and  promised  him  eternal  life 
upon  obedience.  This  covenant  remains.  To  it  was 
added  after  the  disobedience  the  covenant  of  the 
woman's  seed.  This  remains.  A  third  covenant 
was  added  after  the  flood  with  the  surviving  humanity, 
promising  the  stability  of  the  earth.  These  three 
covenants  are  one  covenant  of  God  with  mankind. 
Upon  this  threefold  general  covenant  with  mankind 
is  grafted  the  special  covenant  with  Shem,  narrowed 
first  to  Abraham,  then  to  Isaac  to  the  exclusion  of 
Ishmael,  and  finally  to  Jacob  to  the  exclusion  of  Esau. 
This  special  covenant  came  to  distinct  completion  as 
the  covenant  of  circumcision,  promising  the  land, 
greatness,  and  the  becoming  a  universal  blessing.  This 
covenant  wath  Abraham  was  replaced  by  the  covenant 
with  Isaac ;  and  the  covenant  with  Isaac  was  replaced 
by  the  covenant  with  Israel, — the  covenant  suffering 
no  change  by  God's  annulling  any  promises,  but  only 
by  introducing  new  promises.  And  this  special 
covenant  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Israel  is  in 
order  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  general  covenant  with 
Adam  before  his  sin  and  Adam  after  his  sin  and  Noah 
after  the  flood.     All  the  covenants,  therefore,  are  one 


3i6     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

covenanting,   working  toward  the  original   intention, 
though  again  and  again  losing  some. 

Worship. — We  will  confine  our  study  of  the  de- 
velopment of  worship  to  sacrifice.  Man,  knowing 
God  as  Creator  of  him  and  animals,  and  knowing 
himself  as  essentially  superior  to  animals,  could  not 
have  supposed  animal  sacrifices  to  have  any  value  with 
God  except  as  symbolic  expressions  of  man's  mind 
toward  God.  The  first  use  of  animals,  Jehovah's  cov- 
ering man's  shame  with  their  skins,  associated  such 
animals  with  the  divine  grace  to  sinners.  Sacrifice, 
then,  in  its  simplest  beginnings  with  Abel,  is  expres- 
sion of  submission,  of  friendship,  and  of  faith  in 
Jehovah's  grace  to  the  sinner,  or  of  man's  acceptance 
of  Jehovah's  covenant  of  grace.  Animals  suitable  for 
sacrifice, — that  is,  having  skins  fit  for  clothing;  and 
domestic,  that  is,  raised  by  man, — by  their  use  for 
sacrifice  became  set  off  as  clean  in  contrast  with  other 
animals  as  unclean.  Thus  sacrificial  and  clean  were 
the  same  animals,  all  clean  animals  being  used  by  Noah 
in  sacrifice.  With  Noah  the  sacrifice  is  burned  on  an 
altar,  not  to  cook  the  flesh,  but  to  make  it  ascend  to 
Jehovah — the  Hebrew  for  burnt-offering  meaning 
ascent-offering.  In  that  the  gift  is  thus  as  completely 
as  possible  given  away,  the  burnt-offering  specially 
symbolized  utter  consecration,  without  omitting  the 
confession  of  sin  and  petition  for  forgiveness  of 
germinal  sacrifice — the  sin-offering.  By  still  prohibit- 
ing blood  while  granting  flesh  as  food  to  man, 
emphasis  is  laid  on  the  giving  of  the  life  to  Jehovah, 
and  the  way  is  made  open  to  letting  man  eat  of  the 
sacrifice.  The  altar  of  Noah,  and  every  subsequent 
altar,    was   a   place   for  sacrifice;   and   the    fact  that 


PROGRESS    OF    DOCTRINE  317 

Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  built  no  altar  outside  of 
the  promised  land  begins  the  idea  of  a  sacred  place. 
In  the  ratification  of  the  covenant  with  Abram  in 
chapter  15  just  five  animals  were  used,  thus  beginning 
the  making  of  sacrificial  animals  a  class  within  the 
class  of  clean  animals.  The  passing  of  the  smoking 
furnace  and  the  flame  between  the  pieces  revealed 
Jehovah's  acceptance  of  the  covenant;  for  from  the 
beginning  a  covenant  between  Jehovah  and  man  the 
sinner  is  ratified  upon  the  death  of  blood  sacrifices. 
To  signify  the  inclusion  of  Abraham's  seed  with  him- 
self as  party  to  the  covenant,  the  blood  sacrifice  of 
circumcision  is  instituted.  Circumcision  lies  between 
animal  sacrifice  and  human  sacrifice,  circumcision  it- 
self being  the  offering  of  human  blood — that  is,  human 
life.  This  idea  that  the  animal  sacrifice  points  to 
human  sacrifice  as  that  which  must  really  avail  gained 
clearer  expression  in  Abraham's  sacrifice  of  Isaac ;  but 
the  substitution  of  an  animal  for  Isaac  completes  the 
teaching  that  God  must  provide  for  himself  the  human 
sacrifice,  the  human  life,  which  alone  can  be  acceptable 
as  a  substitute  for  the  worshiper.  Finally,  in  the 
worshiper's  eating  the  flesh  of  the  sacrifices,  as  under 
Jacob's  guidance,  comes  out  the  idea  of  the  worshiper 
sharing  with  God  the  sacrifice,  and  of  the  worshipers 
sharing  it  with  one  another,  the  idea  of  communion. 
Thus  step  by  step  grows  the  doctrine  of  sacrifice  until 
it  spells  out  this, — that  the  covenant  of  Jehovah  with 
sinners  rests  upon  a  propitiation  made  by  the  sacrifice 
of  a  human  life  yet  to  be  provided  by  Jehovah  for 
himself  and  to  be  accepted  by  him  as  a  substitute  for 
the  sinner,  this  accepted  sacrifice  not  to  perish  in  dying, 
but  through  dying  to  come  into  a  fuller  life  with  God, 


3i8     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

and  to  bring  the  sinner  through  faith  into  the  same 
fellowship. 

Fellozvship. — Vital  and  personal  fellowship  with 
God  is  foreshadowed  in  Abel,  is  demonstrated  mysteri- 
ously in  Enoch,  and  exhibited  in  Noah.  In  Abraham 
and  Isaac  and  Jacob  this  fellowship  is  seen  to  become 
an  abiding  and  transforming  reality  to  Jehovah's  be- 
lieving friends. 

Future  Life. — Permanent  life  in  this  fellowship 
w^ith  God  without  arrest  by  death  grows  into  a  first 
principle  by  the  suggestion  in  the  case  of  Abel,  by  the 
demonstration  in  the  case  of  Enoch,  by  the  covenant 
in  the  case  of  Abraham,  germinating  faith  in  resurrec- 
tion at  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac. 

The  Silences. — These  can  be  realized,  if  we  men- 
tion three  heads. 

The  Future. — Nothing  as  to  whether  there  is  any- 
thing after  death  to  the  wicked;  almost  nothing  as  to 
what  comes  to  the  righteous  after  death ;  and  only  the 
dim  and  vague  as  to  Israel's  future  history  and  the 
w^orld's, — such  is  the  silence  of  Genesis  to  man's 
curiosity  concerning  the  future. 

Commandments. — There  is  hardly  a  moral  precept 
in  the  book,  and  but  little  of  religious  precept.  It  nar- 
rates drunkenness  in  Noah,  and  falsehood  and  polyg- 
amy in  the  later  patriarchs,  without  condemning  them, 
or  even  indicating  that  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  ever  thought  these  things  to  be  wrong.  Even 
idolatry  is  nowhere  explicitly  condemned. 

Philosophy. — Not  only  is  precept  almost  wholly  ab- 
sent, but  also  both  psalms  and  proverbs.  The  litera- 
ture of  reflection  and  speculation  is  but  slightly  repre- 


PROGRESS    OF   DOCTRINE  319 

sented.  No  attempt  is  made  to  explain  the  serpent 
or  his  origin,  and  among  the  many  pieces  of  poetical 
composition  is  not  one  hymn. 

Conclusions. — The  contents  of  the  book  origi- 
nated among  a  people  that  had  not  yet  a  philosophy  ex- 
pressed in  either  prose  or  lyric  form,  and  before  their 
age  of  formal  law  and  precept. 

It  is  narration  of  fact.  It  does  not  yield  to  the 
temptation  to  answer  questions,  but  is  content  simply 
to  record  the  revelation  made. 

It  teaches  through  facts.     Lying  and  impurity  and 
i  idolatry  seem  abominable  to  one  who  yields  himself  to 

I  this  narrative,  and  one  is  drawn  to  God  in  faith  and 

awe  as  he  studies  his  ways  as  here  recorded ;  but  both 
I  morality   and    theology   as    formal   doctrine    are   not 

I  present. 

The  whole  teaching  of  Genesis  is  a  gradual  and 
genetic  development. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE    VALUE    OF    GENESIS 

Having  finished  our  study  of  Genesis,  endeavoring 
to  understand  it  in  its  own  light  and  as  for  its  own 
times,  we  are  now  to  conclude  with  application  of 
what  we  have  thus  learned  to  ourselves  and  to  our 
times. 

Relation  to  Later  Revelation. — First  of  all  I 
put  the  relation  of  Genesis  to  later  divine  revelations. 
All  revelations  must  be  one  genetic  organism,  every 
new  growing  out  of  the  old.     Two  results  follow. 

Genesis  as  a  Test. — In  the  first  place,  no  new  revela- 
tion can  spring  up  anywhere  not  in  connection  with 
the  one  organic  revelation.  The  one  revelation  be- 
ginning in  Genesis  propagates  itself  in  one  people,  and 
from  that  one  people  is  given  to  all  peoples.  Memories 
of  this  one  revelation,  preserved  fragments  of  it,  may 
be  found  in  separate  peoples;  but  the  one  growing 
revelation  will  be  found  only  in  Israel.  Therefore, 
whatever  of  revealed  truth  may  be  found  in  other  reli- 
gions and  among  other  peoples  can  only  be  the  over- 
flow, or  the  shed  leaves,  of  the  one  organic  revelation, 
or  preparatory  movements  for  the  introduction  of  the 
one  revealed  teaching.  And  no  new  revelation  can 
spring  up  here  or  there ;  there  can  be  no  new  religion, 
but  only  continuous  development  of  the  one  revela- 
tion rooted  in  Genesis.  Genesis,  then,  is  a  test.  If 
Exodus  and  the  rest  of  the  Pentateuch   is  an  out- 

320 


THE   VALUE    OF    GENESIS  321 

growth  of  Genesis;  if  the  later  histories  of  the  Old 
Testament,  and  the  Prophets  and  the  Psalms  all  are 
the  genetic  development  of  the  Genesis  revelation;  and 
if  Jesus  Christ  and  the  New  Testament  are  the  same 
organic  revelation  grown  to  maturity  and  fruitage, 
then  these  other  writings  are  Scriptures  along  with 
Genesis;  but  if  Jesus  is  not  a  true  son  of  Abraham, 
and  Paul  does  not  stand  in  organic  union  with  Jacob, 
then  the  New  Testament  is  false,  and  Christianity  is 
an  imposture.  But  these  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  New  Testament  are  one  book,  The 
Bible,  and  herein  is  taught  the  one  and  only  true  reli- 
gion; and  every  old  religion  is  perversion,  and  every 
new  religion  an  imposture. 

Genesis  as  a  Guide. — In  the  second  place,  Genesis, 
besides  being  a  test  of  later  revelations,  is  also  a 
guide  to  the  interpretation  of  them.  We  must  not  so 
much  understand  Genesis  in  the  light  of  the  later 
books  as  the  later  books  in  the  light  of  Genesis ;  Jesus 
Christ  is  not  so  much  the  key  to  the  protevangelium 
as  the  protevangelium  is  the  key  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Genesis  must  rule  the  interpretation  of  later  revela- 
tions, otherwise  it  could  not  be  the  test  of  them. 
Exodus  cannot  be  understood  without  Genesis,  but 
Genesis  can  be  understood  before  Exodus  is  known. 
Romans  must  not  be  quoted  against  Genesis,  but 
Genesis  may  be  quoted  against  wrong  interpretations 
of  Romans.  Hence  it  is  a  specious  error  to  rely  on  the 
New  Testament  apart  from  the  Old  Testament,  or  on 
the  teachings  of  Jesus  apart  from  the  teachings  of  the 
prophets,  or  on  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  apart  from 
the  Genesis  history  of  the  origin  of  Israel.  Our  sys- 
tems of  faith  must  be  rooted  in  Genesis. 


322     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

Method  of  Teaching. — By  the  side  of  the  rela- 
tion of  Genesis  to  later  teachings  I  put  the  method  of 
teaching  exhibited  in  Genesis  as  a  guide  in  method. 

For  Teaching  Children. — It  is  the  method  for  teach- 
ing children.  The  Genesis  method  requires  us  to  begin 
with  facts  and  not  with  fictions.  The  tendency  of  our 
time  is  to  insist  on  beginning  with  fictions.  There  is 
now  not  only  a  reaction  against  teaching  theories  to 
children,  that  is,  dogmas  beyond  facts,  but  also  against 
teaching  even  the  facts.  This  theory  in  religious 
pedagogy  springs  out  of  doubt  or  denial  of  the  facts. 
Fiction  has  its  place,  but  it  is  destructive  to  the  very 
power  of  discrimination  to  confound  stories  of  fiction 
and  stories  of  fact  in  the  child's  mind.  The  truly 
scientific  method  is,  first,  acquaintance  with  facts  in 
order  to  the  explanation  of  facts,  and  this  is  the 
method  of  Genesis. 

For  Teaching  Morality. — The  method  of  Genesis 
shows  us  that  we  must  base  morality  upon  religion 
and  not  religion  upon  morality.  Here  is  a  great  prin- 
ciple for  our  guidance  in  education  and  in  evangeliza- 
tion. 

For  Evangelising. — And  the  method  of  Genesis 
shows  us  that  in  evangelizing  the  non-Christian  world 
we  must  attach  our  teachings  to  those  germs  of  reli- 
gious truth  which  they  already  possess,  purifying  and 
developing  it,  so  that  our  religion  shall  be  to  them  the 
destruction  of  their  error  by  rescuing  what  remains  in 
them  of  the  one  true  revelation  and  growing  it  to 
maturity ;  but  that  we  must  bring  to  them  Christ  and 
his  religion  as  the  one  and  only  object  and  w^ay  of 
faith  and  life.  The  Christian  religion  is  the  only  true 
religion;  but  even  this  is  not  to  be  imposed  upon  any 


THE   VALUE   OF    GENESIS  323 

people  by  ignoring  their  preparatory  training  for  re- 
ceiving it. 

Modern  Pertinence  of  Particular  Doctrines. 
— Coming  from  these  general  uses  of  the  teaching  of 
Genesis  for  test  and  interpretation,  and  its  method  for 
guidance  in  instruction  and  evangelization,  let  us  take 
up  particular  doctrines. 

Man's  Unity. — The  Genesis  doctrine  of  man's  unity 
is  deser\nng  of  special  emphasis  in  our  age.  The 
unity  is  the  basis  of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  men. 
The  new  racial  antagonisms  replacing  the  servitudes 
of  the  past,  and  the  new  racial  antagonisms  growing 
out  of  the  awakening  of  the  Asiatic  peoples  and  their 
industrial  and  political  competition  with  the  peoples  of 
Europe  and  America,  demand  the  corrective  of  the 
underlying  fact — that  all  the  races  are  one  race,  the 
white  and  the  black  and  the  red  and  the  yellow  and  the 
brown  being  descended  from  the  one  family  of  Noah 
that  came  out  of  the  ark  (or  at  least  from  Adam). 
Likewise  the  ethical  unity  of  mankind,  uniting  parent 
and  child,  Adam  and  all  his  descendants,  in  a  com- 
mon or  racial  obligation  or  right,  in  the  potentiality 
of  a  racial  guilt  and  a  racial  righteousness,  needs  an 
emphatic  reiteration  in  our  day.  It  is  needed  to  keep 
us  from  carrying  individualism  to  the  extreme.  On 
the  one  hand,  the  individual  responsibility  must  be 
maintained  without  compromise;  but  on  the  other 
hand  the  community  responsibility  must  not  be  made 
little  of.  The  salvation  of  society  is  indeed  a  vain 
dream  without  the  salvation  of  the  individual;  but 
likewise  impossible  is  the  salvation  of  the  individual 
without  the  salvation  of  society. 


324     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

Tivo  Universal  Facts. — By  the  side  of  this  unity 
of  the  race  must  be  put  two  facts  which  would  have 
been  impossible  without  it. 

One  of  these  facts  is  the  universal  corruption 
through  the  primal  sin.  However  much  of  truth 
there  may  be  in  the  prevalent  idea  that  man  has  risen 
from  low  beginnings,  Genesis  makes  known  to  us  a 
moral  descent  by  catastrophe  in  the  beginning  of 
human  history,  and  derives  the  universal  tendency  to 
sin  from  the  original  disobedience.  The  sin  of  Adam 
was  the  sin  of  the  race. 

The  other  fact  is  the  universal  grace.  Before  the 
first  sin  there  was  God's  covenant  with  mankind ;  then 
after  the  sin  was  this  covenant  with  mankind  as 
under  sin,  in  the  protevangelium ;  and  after  the  flood 
is  the  continuance  of  the  covenant  with  the  surviving 
humanity.  All  human  history  is  developed  under  the 
covenant  of  grace  between  God  and  mankind. 

Now  these  two  facts  must  be  asserted  against  those 
forms  of  evolutionary  philosophy  which  deny  the  orig- 
inal and  universal  sin  of  the  race,  which  expect  salva- 
tion through  culture,  and  which  despair  altogether 
of  some  races  and  degenerates  as  incapable  of  salva- 
tion. The  book  of  Genesis  teaches  election,  an  elec- 
tion independent  of  foreseen  good  works  or  merits ; 
but  it  forever  contradicts  the  unconditional  exclusion 
of  any  from  divine  favor,  and  asserts,  not  universal 
salvation  indeed,  but  absolutely  universal  participa- 
tion in  the  right  to  be  saved  and  capability  of  being 
saved.  And  the  universality  of  sin  and  the  universal- 
ity of  grace  must  now  preserve  and  ever  enlarge  the 
efforts  after  universal  evangelization ;  for  there  is 
nowhere  any  degenerate  race,  or  any  degenerate  class, 


THE   VALUE    OF    GENESIS  325 

or  any  degenerate  individual,  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
covenant  grace  of  God. 

The  Doctrine  of  Sin. — This  brings  ns  face  to  face 
with  the  Genesis  doctrine  of  sin,  which,  of  course, 
cannot  be  understood  apart  from  the  doctrine  of 
God.  ' 

That  in  the  Genesis  doctrine  of  God  which  needs 
special  emphasis  in  our  day  is  his  personality.  We 
are  coming  into  contact  and  intercourse  with  the 
Oriental  world,  with  Asiatic  thought.  The  phi- 
losophies and  religions  of  India  have  had  an  influence 
already  visible  on  the  thought  of  Europe  and  America, 
and  those  of  Japan  and  China  are  coming  with  a  still 
greater  potency.  Now  in  all  that  Asiatic  world  the 
dominant  conception  is  pantheism,  which  conceives  all 
to  be  God  and  God  to  be  all.  Hence  there  could  be  no 
real  creation,  but  only  evolution  or  emanation;  and 
God,  the  All,  could  not  be  a  conscious  being,  much 
less  a  person.  Now  this  Asiatic  pantheism  is  begin- 
ning to  penetrate  and  percolate  through  our  Western 
thought  and  literature ;  and  the  intellectual  battle  of 
the  ages  is  approaching  in  the  clash  between  the  per- 
sonal theism  of  the  West  and  the  impersonal  panthe- 
ism of  the  East. 

Now  if  God,  being  a  person  like  man,  starts  man 
and  keeps  him  in  covenant  with  God,  then  sin  is  not 
mere  violence  done  to  man's  own  nature,  nor  even 
mere  wrong  done  to  a  Personal  Infinite,  but  sin  is 
pre-eminently  a  breach  of  covenant.  God  is  a  person 
with  his  rights  and  obligations  in  the  covenant,  and 
man  is  a  person  with  his  obligations  and  rights  in  this 
covenant;  and  when  man  sins  he  violates  these 
covenant   obligations   and   wrongs   his   Friend.     Sin, 


326     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

then,  is  not  misfortune  or  weakness,  it  is  a  wrong,  an 
injury,  a  base  dishonor.  It  deserves  and  provokes 
indignation.  It  has  guilt,  that  is,  desert  of  punish- 
ment. Sin  ought  not  to  take  place;  the  punishment  of 
sin  ought  to  take  place. 

In  pantheism  or  pantheistic  evolution  there  is  no 
ought  and  no  sin.  There  is  evil,  but  no  sin.  There 
is  an  inherited  entail  of  evil,  but  no  sin.  Man  is  cor- 
rupt, but  not  guilty.  And  against  this  denial  of  sin 
and  guilt  must  be  asserted  and  reiterated  the  Genesis 
conception  of  sin  as  wrong  done  in  violation  of 
covenant  to  our  Personal  Friend. 

Atonement. — This  being  the  nature  of  sin,  there 
can  be  such  a  thing  as  propitiation  and  forgiveness. 
If  sin  had  no  guilt,  it  could  have  no  forgiveness;  and 
if  sin  did  not  deserve  punishment, — which  is  the  ex- 
pression of  God's  anger, — then  there  could  be  no  pro- 
pitiation for  sin  be  offered  to  God.  And  Genesis 
teaches  that  God  is  capable  of  being  propitiated,  and 
points  forward  through  its  sacrifices  to  a  real  and 
sufficient  propitation  for  sin.  This  doctrine  of  pro- 
pitiation is  necessarily  but  germinal  in  Genesis,  and  is 
yet  indefinite  and  undeveloped ;  but  it  is  unmistakably 
there. 

Now  this  is  the  one  doctrine  in  the  evangelical  sys- 
tem of  truth  which,  next  to  the  doctrine  of  the  guilt 
of  sin,  is  weak  in  our  day.  The  sense  of  sin  and  the 
need  of  atonement  do  not  go  deep  in  the  common  ex- 
perience of  believers  to-day;  and  the  tendencies  of 
thought  make  for  their  elimination  from  our  creeds, 
or  at  least  for  toning  them  down.  But  if  Genesis  is 
allowed  to  rule  in  the  interpretation  of  the  other 
Scriptures,  we  shall  come  to  God's  Propitiation  for 


THE   VALUE    OF    GENESIS  327 

Human  Guilt  as  the  center  of  the  gospel,  the  first  and 
deepest  necessity  of  the  human  soul. 

C ommunion  zvith  God. — Our  other  truth  of  Genesis, 
though  not  there  reaching  its  full  development,  has 
there  a  clear  beginning,  and  is  specially  needed  in  our 
day.  This  is  the  day  of  activity  and  philanthropy,  a 
day  of  earnest  altruism.  There  is  real  peril  for  the 
people  of  God,  that  they  will  forget  him  in  their  con- 
cern for  man.  Communion  with  God  is  postponed  in 
our  busy  working  for  man.  We  are  in  danger  of 
decaying  at  the  heart  while  flourishing  in  outward 
fruitage.  We  have  not  time  to  pray,  we  are  so  busy ; 
we  cannot  spare  time  to  become  acquainted  with  God, 
we  are  so  busy  doing  good  to  man.  Now  Genesis  by 
li  Enoch,    Noah,    Abraham,    Isaac,    and   Jacob   demon- 

|!  strates  the  possibility  and  the  reality  of  communion 

l|  with  God,  and  makes  the  life  with  God  both  the  high- 

I  est  good  for  his  friends  and  their  best  qualification  for 

I  service  to  men.     And  if  ever  our  religion  stops  short 

j  of  this  fellowship  with  God,  then  our  religion  stops 

short  of  where  the  true  religion  begins. 


APPENDIX 

DIFFICULTIES   AND   OBJECTIONS 

The  difficulties  and  objections  may  be  grouped 
under  three  general  heads  as  historical,  scientific,  and 
philosophical. 

Historical. — The  historical  difficulties,  so  far  as 
we  need  here  to  take  them  up,  are  as  follows : 

Supposed  Inconsistencies. — Specimens  of  supposed 
inconsistencies  may  be  mentioned.  In  Chapter  i  the 
order  of  making  is  vegetation,  animals,  man;  but  in 
Chapter  2  the  order  is  male  man,  vegetation,  animals, 
female  man.  The  difficulty  disappears  when  we  re- 
member that  not  always  are  events  told  in  the  order 
of  their  occurrence,  especially  in  Hebrew  narrative. 
So  12.1^  and  25.1^.  In  12.10-20  is  an  account  of 
Abram  and  Sarai  deceiving  Pharaoh  by  saying  that  she 
was  Abram's  sister;  in  20.1-18  it  was  Abimelech  who 
was  thus  deceived  by  them;  and  in  26.6-1 1  it  is  Isaac 
and  Rebekah  who  thus  deceive  Abimelech.  Some 
have  taken  these  to  be  inconsistent  repetitions  of  the 
same  story ;  but  really  we  have  in  the  three  successive 
and  similar  occurrences  a  specimen  how  a  sin  may 
grow  and  be  transmitted.  For  in  the  second  case 
Abram  and  Sarai  have  become  Abraham  and  Sarah, 
and  hence  sin  against  increased  assurances  of  God's 
gracious  promise ;  and  in  the  third  case  Isaac  and  Re- 
bekah make  a  statement  wholly  untrue,  since  Rebekah 

328 


DIFFICULTIES    AND   OBJECTIONS       329 

was  not  Isaac's  sister,  and  Sarah  really  was  Abraham's 
sister. 

Supposed  Contradictions. — A  few  alleged  contra- 
dictions of  other  sources  known  to  be  true  may  be 
mentioned.  A  number  of  supposed  false  etymologies 
are  pointed  out.  For  instance,  in  11.9  we  read, 
'*  Therefore  was  the  name  of  it  called  Babel;  because 
Jehovah  did  there  confound  (Heb.  halal)  the  language 
of  all  the  earth."  But  Babel  cannot  be  derived  from 
balal.  The  solution  of  this  and  like  difficulties  in  the 
earHer  chapters  of  Genesis  lies  in  this,  that,  as  they 
stand  in  the  Hebrew,  they  are  translations  into 
Hebrew  from  language  earlier  than  Hebrew.  It  is 
no  more  necessary  to  derive  Babel  from  balal  than 
from  the  English  confound.  Again,  some  claim  that 
the  chronological  data  of  Genesis  bring  down  the 
flood  and  the  beginning  of  history  to  impossible  dates. 
Two  remarks  are  in  place :  one,  that  the  differences  in 
the  numbers  given  in  the  Hebrew  and  those  given  in 
the  Greek  Septuagint  make  it  imprudent  to  rely  im- 
plicitly on  the  transmitted  as  being  the  autographic 
numbers;  the  other,  that  we  cannot  know  that  there 
are  no  omissions  of  generations  in  the  genealogical 
tables.  In  similar  tables  that  we  are  able  to  test  we 
do  find  sometimes  one  generation,  and  sometimes 
several  successive  generations  omitted.  Therefore 
we  do  not  have  in  Genesis  sufficient  data  for  making 
out  a  chronology  of  those  early  ages.  Once  more, 
the  fourteenth  chapter  was  once  thought  to  be  a  con- 
tradiction of  the  historical  situation ;  but  now  we  know 
from  elsewhere  that  such  expeditions  into  Palestine 
from  the  East  were  made  in  the  age  of  Abraham. 
There  are  many  points  of  possible  contradiction  be- 


330     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

tween  Genesis  and  the  ancient  history  of  the  basin  of 
the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  and  of  the  basin  of  the  Nile, 
and  of  the  country  between  those  two  river  basins; 
but,  as  our  information  from  other  sources  becomes 
fuller  and  more  definite,  we  find  not  only  no  contra- 
diction on  this  point  or  that,  but  also  fullest  consist- 
ency between  the  environment  required  by  Genesis  and 
that  reported  from  other  sources.  In  no  statement 
has  Genesis  been  found  inconsistent  with  any  trust- 
worthy historical  data. 

Supposed  Incredibles. — A  narrative  might  be  wholly 
consistent  with  itself  and  with  all  historical  data  of 
other  sources,  and  yet  contain  statements  in  their 
nature  incredible;  and  such  statements  are  alleged  by 
some  to  appear  in  Genesis.  Chief  among  these  sup- 
posed incredible  statements  is  the  long  lives  of  the 
antediluvians,  it  seeming  incredible  that  men  ever 
lived  to  be  over  nine  hundred  years  old.  But  if  man 
began  capable  of  living  forever,  why  may  he  not  have 
fallen  first  to  a  limit  of  a  thousand  years,  and  then 
gradually  down?  Adam,  Seth,  and  Enos  averaged 
916  years;  Kenan,  Mahalaleel,  and  Jared,  902;  Enoch, 
Methuselah,  and  Lamech,  704;  Noah,  Shem,  and 
Arpachshad,  663 ;  Shelah,  Eber,  and  Peleg,  379 ;  Reu, 
Serug,  and  Nahor,  205 ;  Terah,  Abram,  and  Isaac, 
187;  Jacob  and  Joseph  129.  This  gradual  decrease 
in  the  length  of  life,  and  with  a  natural  irregularity, 
speaks  convincingly  for  the  correctness  of  the  state- 
ments. One  other  of  these  challenged  statements  is 
the  birth  of  Isaac  when  his  father  was  one  hundred 
years  old  and  his  mother  ninety.  The  narrator  him- 
self is  conscious  of  the  inherent  element  of  wonder 
here.     All  that  we  can  say  is  that  which  can  be  said 


DIFFICULTIES   AND   OBJECTIONS      331 

concerning  any  similar  wonder  given  as  a  sign  or  evi- 
dence of  revelation.  There  was  need  for  such  a 
miracle  to  confirm  such  a  promise.  Some  may  say 
that  the  story  of  saving  all  the  animals  in  the  ark  is 
incredible.  But  in  this  story  there  is  no  indication  of 
consciousness  of  its  wonder.  The  witnesses  themselves 
found  room  for  all  the  animals  that  they  knew  about. 
Other  Difficulties. — Some  things  that  may  appear  to 
others  as  difficulties  may  be  omitted  by  me  as  not  hav- 
ing occurred  to  me  to  be  difficulties ;  but,  in  general,  it 
should  be  remembered  that  one  should  expect  to  find 
some  perhaps  inexplicable  difficulties  in  records  so 
ancient  and  so  far  removed  from  us  in  the  environ- 
ment of  their  events.  Other  things  are  omitted  by 
me  on  the  ground  that  we  do  not  possess  sufficient 
data  from  other  sources  for  fully  testing  them.  Such 
are  the  location  of  Paradise,  the  dispersion  from 
Babel  (Babylon?)  by  confusion  of  tongues,  and  the 
kinships  and  geographical  distribution  of  the  nations. 

Scientific. — More  troublesome  to  many  are  cer- 
tain objections  from  the  point  of  view  of  physical 
science. 

The  Flood. — Some  would  discredit  the  Genesis 
story  of  the  flood  on  the  ground  that  geology  denies 
that  such  a  flood  has  taken  place ;  others  appeal  to 
geologic  proofs  of  such  a  flood  to  confirm  the  Genesis 
record.  But  the  Genesis  record  gives  neither  the  date 
nor  the  geographical  limits  of  the  flood.  It  is  there- 
fore improbable  that  geological  history  can  be  brought 
either  to  confirm  or  to  contradict  the  Genesis  record; 
but  certainly  geology  does  not  deny  the  possibility  of 
such  a  flood  as  Genesis  asserts,  while  the  flood  stories 


332     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

of  other  peoples  would,  apart  from  the  Hebrew  record, 
raise  the  question  whether  some  such  catastrophe  did 
not  once  befall  the  race. 

Genesis  Astronomy. — A  more  important  objection 
to  Genesis  lies  in  this,  that  astronomy  has  given  us  to 
know  how  comparatively  insignificant  the  earth  is, 
itself  a  small  body  in  a  system  of  similar  bodies,  and 
the  whole  system  but  a  particle  among  countless  like 
systems.  Now  it  must  be  frankly  confessed  that  the 
men  of  Genesis  did  not  know  this;  that  the  central 
position  of  the  earth,  its  plane  surface,  and  associated 
conceptions  are  wrought  into  the  vocabulary  and 
phraseology  of  the  Hebrew,  as  of  every  other  lan- 
guage ;  and  that  the  Genesis  records,  as  any  records 
must  of  necessity  have  done  that  gave  the  testimony  of 
witnesses,  describe  the  phenomena  as  they  appeared. 
But  by  this  very  abstention  from  all  effort  at  what  we 
would  now  call  scientific  explanation,  Genesis  avoids  all 
collision  with  the  scientific  conclusions  ascertained  in 
modern  times.  It  is  silent  without  blundering.  At 
the  same  time  Genesis  teaches  the  great  religious  truth 
of  an  intelligent  personal  Creator  and  Ruler  of  all, 
and  hence  the  interrelation  of  all  the  parts  and  things 
of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  with  somehow  the  feel- 
ing (by  associating  the  heavens  with  God  and  the 
earth  with  man)  that  the  heavens  are  greater  than  the 
earth,  and  thus  begins  wnth  that  of  which  modern 
science  is  but  the  elaboration — the  conception  of  the 
one  all-inclusive,  the  universe. 

Evolution. — A  still  more  serious  difficulty  of  our 
time  may  be  stated  thus :  the  science  of  our  time  has 
discovered  not  only  the  unity  of  the  universe  of  space, 
but  also  the  unity  of  the  universe  of  time,  knitting 


DIFFICULTIES    AND    OBJECTIONS       333 

together  what  is  going  to  be  with  what  has  been 
through  what  is ;  for  what  is  is  the  past  becoming  the 
future.  As  all  the  race  and  individuals  of  men  come 
by  descent  out  of  one  original,  so  all  the  many  things 
and  beings  of  the  universe  come  out  of  a  simple  orig- 
inal by  orderly  descent;  and  this  descent  or  deriva- 
tion or  evolution  is  an  unbroken  process.  These  laws 
of  continuity  and  uniformity  tie  the  ages  together  in 
one.  Now  it  must  be  frankly  admitted  that  in  the 
atmosphere  of  modern  science  one  cannot  escape  from 
this  universal  continuity  and  uniformity.  If  one  re- 
jects all  such  hypotheses  as  the  nebular  hypothesis,  ac- 
cording to  which  our  sun  and  planets  and  earth  were 
all  at  a  time  past  one  revolving  vapor  which  by  cool- 
ing has  become  this  solar  system;  if  one  rejects  every 
form  of  theory  connecting  by  descent  the  many  species 
of  plants  and  animals,  and  wholly  casts  away  all 
genetic  connection  of  man  with  the  lower  animals — 
still  one  cannot  now  imagine  himself  in  a  world  where 
the  laws  of  continuity  and  uniformity  do  not  obtain. 
It  must  also  be  frankly  admitted  that  whatever  this 
or  that  individual  may  claim,  most  minds  of  our  time 
that  become  acquainted  with  the  evidences  accept  some 
such  theories  as  I  have  mentioned.  For  us  who  may 
not  be  competent  to  weigh  these  evidences  for  our- 
selves, it  is  not  wise  to  be  dogmatic  in  denouncing  or 
even  in  disbelieving  theories  that  lie  outside  of  our 
own  field  of  research.  At  the  same  time  they  are 
theories.  Even  the  general  theory  of  continuity  and 
uniformity  is  but  a  theory,  an  inference  by  induction 
from  innumerable  facts,  but  not  from  all  facts.  If 
Genesis  or  any  other  credible  record  gave  one  fact 
contradictory  of  this  theory,  the  truly  scientific  thinker 


334     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF    GENESIS 

would  gladly  modify  his  theory  so  far.  But  I  must 
confess  that  Genesis  seems  to  me  to  be  almost,  if  not 
altogether,  silent  on  all  particular  questions  of  this 
sort.  It  does  seem  to  me  indeed  to  deny  that  the  ani- 
mal is  but  a  more  highly  developed  descendant  of  the 
plant  (if  indeed  there  be  any  who  in  the  name  of 
science  hold  such  a  view),  and  man  but  a  more  highly 
developed  descendant  of  the  animal,  asserting  a  crea- 
tion in  the  strictest  sense  at  the  first  appearance  of 
animal  life,  and  again  a  creation  in  the  strictest  sense 
at  the  first  appearance  of  human  life,  barring  out  the 
derivation  from  the  plant  of  that  in  the  animal  in 
which  the  animal  differs  from  the  plant,  and  the  de- 
rivation from  the  animal  of  that  in  the  man  in  which 
the  man  differs  from  the  animal ;  and  it  does  seem  to 
me  undoubtedly  to  assert  the  occurrence  of  certain 
events  wholly  inexplicable,  that  is,  irreferable  to 
known  law  of  uniform  sequence,  such  as  the  building 
of  Eve  out  of  a  rib  of  Adam,  and  the  birth  of  Isaac 
from  a  mother  past  age,  to  say  nothing  of  theophanies 
and  inspiration  that  lie  beyond  the  sphere  of  physical 
science ;  yet  the  fact  that  this  most  ancient  record  does 
not  give  answers  that  can  ever  be  ascertained  to  be 
false  answers,  raises  in  my  mind  a  mighty  presumption 
that  what  answers  it  does  give  are  true.  Further- 
more, the  physical  facts  of  Genesis  conform  to  the  law 
of  continuity  and  uniformity.  While  the  events  of 
the  seven  days  are  not  certified  as  told  in  the  strict 
successive  time  order  of  their  occurrence,  yet  they  to- 
gether do  present  a  continuous  progress  amazingly  like 
that  which  geology  has  ascertained.  All  the  complex 
facts  of  Genesis,  including  even  its  miracles,  together 
make  one  unbroken  continuity.     Israel  grows  out  of 


DIFFICULTIES    AND    OBJECTIONS       335 

Adam;  the  teachings  grow  out  of  one  another,  begin- 
ning from  the  germ  given  in  the  first  section ;  and  the 
God  of  Genesis,  if  the  impatient  heart  is  ever  tempted 
to  criticize  him,  is  slow,  gradual,  continuous,  even  in 
his  revelatory  and  redemptive  work,  like  the  God  of 
modern  science.  And  what  is  the  heredity,  the  uni- 
form sequence  of  penalty  after  sin,  and  the  changeless 
covenant,  underlying  alike  the  stability  of  nature  and 
of  grace — what  are  these  things  in  Genesis  but  mani- 
festations of  a  Supernatural  indeed,  but  of  a  Super- 
natural never  unnatural? 

Philosophical  and  Theological. — What  I  have 
just  been  saying  sounds  more  like  metaphysical  than 
scientific  reasoning.  The  truth  is  that  no  serious  ob- 
jection can  be  raised  to  Genesis  strictly  on  the  ground 
of  science,  as  Genesis  is  wholly  silent  on  questions  of 
science.  But  philosophy  and  theology  are  so  closely 
allied  that  any  theological  or  religious  teaching  has  its 
philosophical  side. 

Anthropomorphism. — It  is  objected  to  Genesis  that 
its  Deity  is  too  anthropomorphic,  that  is,  too  much  like 
man.  Man  is  made  like  him,  he  appears  in  theoph- 
anies  as  a  man,  and  he  is  represented  as  grieving 
and  investigating  like  man,  to  say  nothing  of  ascribing 
eyes  and  the  like  to  him.  The  answer  is  twofold; 
that  facts  are  narrated  as  they  appear,  all  language 
being  necessarily  phenomenal  and  parabolic.  If  the 
metaphysical  is  represented  in  language  at  all,  it  must 
be  represented  in  terms  of  the  physical,  especially  in  a 
narrative  that  gives  honestly  the  testimony  of  wit- 
nesses. The  other  part  of  the  answer  is  that  Genesis 
represents  God  as  like  man  because  he  is  like  man.     It 


336     AN    INTERPRETATION    OF   GENESIS 

is  fundamental  that  God  and  man  are  like  each  other, 
personalities,  and  not  things  or  forces.  That  God  is 
manlike  is  practically  more  important  than  that  he  is 
infinite. 

Ethics. — It  is  objected  to  Genesis  that  it  is  im- 
moral, approving  falsehood  and  polygamy  and  drunk- 
enness and  slavery.  This  objection  rests  upon  igno- 
rance of  the  divine  method  of  teaching  and  upon  lack 
of  appreciation  of  the  real  lessons  of  the  narrative. 
Those  who  really  enter  into  a  sympathetic  understand- 
ing of  Genesis  get  a  disgust  and  horror  of  falsehood, 
of  polygamy,  and  of  drunkenness,  and  of  the  wrong 
elements  commonly  present  in  slavery.  But  there  is 
here  one  lesson  that  we  must  not  shut  our  eyes  to, — 
that  religion  must  be  made  the  basis  of  morality  rather 
than  morality  the  basis  of  religion. 

Propitiation. — Finally  it  is  objected  to  Genesis  that 
it  assumes  that  Deity  must  be  propitiated  with  bloody 
sacrifices.  To  this  I  reply  that,  on  the  contrary. 
Genesis  teaches,  that  sacrifices  are  but  symbols ;  that 
they  are  never  offered  except  to  God  regarded  as  al- 
ready propitiated  or  gracious  toward  the  worshiper, 
Abraham,  for  instance,  not  through  sacrifices  pray- 
ing for  seed  or  interceding  in  behalf  of  Sodom;  and 
that  God  provides  for  himself  that  propitiation  for 
sin  which  his  nature  demands,  sacrifices  offered  by  his 
people  being  only  expression  of  faith  in  the  divinely 
provided,  or  to  be  provided,  reality  of  atonement. 
Genesis  does  assert  in  God  an  anger  against  sin  too  im- 
measurably earnest  and  uncompromising  for  man  at 
all  to  satisfy,  but  reveals  that  somehow  God  finds  a 
way  to  satisfy  for  man  that  eternal  demand.  Genesis 
is  the  primeval  gospel  to  sinners. 


INDEXES 

(The    numbers    on    the    right  refer  to  pages) 


INDEX    OF    BIBLICAL  2.18-24    (Sect   2)        83 

PASSAGES  jj^         ;;      ;:;;;/79 


1.1-2.3    (Sect.i)      ..53,63-72,  If.  .  "av'    ^H 

82,    83,    86,  ^-^4  .  .47,      0«: 

lll^       312,  ,.,5_3.^  .  .3^,.      83 

I.I                  "            ..66,        79,  \\^  "  i^^ 

no  ^o  ''  11^ 

\\                          u                 l{  3.5  "  115 

;f„       .      i\  3.8-21  "  84 

W'i        u      %  3.14  "       84 

i:;8       ::     ':::.^:.%  ^  ;:  •^•••| 

ii    :   ■■■■  *:  i  s  -  ;■:;:::  s 

i:^^       "     ':::r67X  3—4  ;;  86 

\i       :      '--'''''  1%  "  ::::::  79 

'f/30  ^,  83  86,   115 

If               u            ll  4.1-8  "  87 

2:3        "      ;;.•;;;;.  t  4.1  '^  ..87,  93, 

2.4-4.26    (Sect.  2)         S3,      73-  4.2,3  "  "^..    79 

^9'     ys,  4.4  "  81 

312,  328  Z^  u                         8 

2.4-3.24      "       ..79,  82,  ^;^  u  ;;;:;•  194 

''5     ,  4.9-15  ''  87 

2.4-17                82  4.10,11  "  79 

2.4                   "            ...   33,  66  4.12  "  79 

2.5,6                "            ..79,     82,  4.13  "  80 

149  414  "  79 

2-7                   "            79  4.16-24  "  88 

2-9           ;;       ••••••  79  4.16  "  ..  79,258 

2.10                  258  4.18  "  ..81,  195, 

2.1 1- 13        "       ..  79, 259  250 

337 


338 


INDEX 


4.25-26    (Sect.   2)        88  9.19  (Sect.  4)     103 

4-25                  "            ..93,    115  9-20-27  "            105 

4.26                  "            ..81,     82,  9.26  "            no 

87,  115  9.28,29  "  .  .103,    106 

5.1—6.8  (Sect.  3)      ..53,80,  90-  lo.i— 11.9  (Sect.  5)     ..53,  108- 

96,   115,  312  III,     116. 

51,2              "            94  312 

5-3-32            "             ..92,         94,  10.1-32  "             114 

113,         114,  10.2-5  "             Ill 

261  10.5  "             259 

5.3  "             89  10.6-20  "             Ill 

5-29               "            ....93,    III,  10.6  "            259 

115  10.8-10  "             263 

6.1-4             "            95  10.8  "  ..(fj,    no 

d.Z                "            68,   93,  10.9  "  ....     no, 

153  116,  195 

6.4                               93  10.10  "             259 

6.5-8              "            95  10.11,12  "  ..III,   263 

^■7                 "             80  10.13  "             259 

6.9— 9.29  (Sect.  4.)      ..53,    97-  10.14  "            Ill 

107,        115,  10. 15-19  "             ^^^ 

312  10.19  "  ..119,  259 

6.9 — 8.19          "            104  10.21-31  "            Ill 

6.9-12               "            ..103,104  10.21  "            no 

6.9                   "            80  10.24  "            113 

6.11  "            80  10.25  "            263 

6.12  "            ....68,  80  10.29  "            259 

6.13-22            "            104  10.30  "            259 

6.13  "            68  10.32  "  ...67,  III 

6.17                 "            68  II. 1-9  "            Ill 

7.1-16              "           104  II. I  "            67 

7.1                    "            ..80,    115  11.5  "            no 

7.4  "            103  n.8  "            67 

7.5  "            115  II-9  "  ••67,    no, 

7.16                  "            ..  37,  115  259,    329 

7.17-23  "  104  II. 10-26    (Sect.  6)     54,   92, 

7.24—8.12        "            104  112   -    114, 

8.4                    "            259  116 

8.13-19             "            104  11.26  "            114 

8.20—9.17        "            104  117- 

8.20-22  "  105  IT.27— 25.11  (Sect.  7)   ..54,117- 

8.20  "             116  160.    313 

8.21  "             116  11.27—1318  "  ....     151 

9-1-7  "  105  n.27— 12.9  "  151 

9-8-17               "             ..105,  115  n.27-32  "  ....    151 

9-10  "  ..103,107  11.27,28.29  "  149 

918-27  "  104  11.31  "         149 

918,19              "            105  12.1-9  "  ..151,328 


12.3      (Sect 

.  7) 

..67, 

149 

12.4 

'' 

.... 

114, 

263, 

264 

12.S 

« 

264 

12.10— 13.18 

« 

.... 

152 

12.10-20 

328' 

152, 

131-13 

« 



152 

13.12 

fi 

.... 

149 

13-13 

" 

.... 

.  80 

1314-18 

(t 

.... 

152 

14.1—17,27 

« 



152 

14. 1-24 

<( 

151, 

152, 

264 

14.1-12 

11 

152 

14. 1 

(( 

.'261*, 

269 

14.8 

ti 

41 

1413-16 

" 



153 

14-13,14 

" 

.... 

264 

14.14 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

150 

14.15 

*' 

.  .  .  . 

150 

14.17-24 

(( 

.  ..  . 

153 

15.1-21 

(( 

.... 

153, 

263, 

264, 

317 

15.6 

« 

.   81 

15-9 

i( 

150 

15.16 

« 

.  .  .  . 

.   80 

16.1-16 

<( 

.  .  . 

153, 

264, 

^^5 

16.5 

« 

.  80 

16.7 

(( 

.  . .  . 

264 

16.12 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

162 

16.14 

« 

.  . .  . 

264 

17.1-27 

(( 

270 

I54> 

17.1-8 

« 

154 

170-14 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

154 

17-15-21 

« 



154 

17-23-27 

« 

154 

18. 1— 22.19 

K 

.  154 

18.1—19-38 

{( 

.  155 

18.1-33 

(t 

.  264 

18.1-15 

(( 

.  .  . 

.  155 

18.1 

a 

.  264 

18.10 

« 

150 

18.16-33 

« 

,  .  . 

.  155 

18.19 

« 

..  80 

INDEX  339 


18.20  (Sect.    7) 

18.23-28 

18.33 

19.1-11 

19.4 

19.12-29 

19-15 
19.22 

19-24 

19-30-38 

20.1 — 21.34  ' 

20.1-18 

20.1 

20.4 

20.6 

20.8 

20.9 

20.16 

21.1-7 

21.5 

21.8-21 

21.17 

21.22-34 

21.30,31 

21.33 

22.1-24 

22.1-19  " 

22.7 

22.11 

22.15 

22.17  " 

22.18 

22.20 — 24.67 

22.20 — 23.20 

22.20-24 

23.1-20 

23.6  ;; 

24.1-67  'I 

24.11 

24.65 

25.1-11 

25.1-6 

25.7-11 
25.11 

25.12-18     (Sect.  8) 


80 

V.80, 

81 

264 

155 

.  .  .  . 

149 

.... 

155 



80 

140 



66 

.... 

155 

155 

155, 

264, 

328 

264 

80 

.... 

80 

.... 

150 

80 

.  .  •  • 

150 

.... 

i.'^6 

263, 

264 

156 

.... 

.  66 

.... 

150 

.... 

150 

. . . . 

.  81 

.  .  .  . 

265 

.  . .  . 

156 

.... 

150 

.  . .  . 

.  66 

.... 

.  60 

.  . .  . 

.  41 

.67, 

149 

.  .  .  . 

157 

.  .  .  . 

157 

157, 

266 

157 

.  .  .  . 

no 

.157 

274 

149 

. . . . 

150 

. . . . 

157 

157, 

263. 

265 

328 

158 

150 

.  -54, 

161- 

162, 

263 

340 


INDEX 


25.19-35-29  (J 

Beet.  9) 

.54, 

163- 

200 

252, 

313 

25.19—28.9 

" 

195 

25.19-26 

« 

195 

25.20 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

266 

25.26 

" 

.41, 

263 

25.27-34 

« 

195 

25.27 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

194 

25.29 

" 

.  .  .  . 

194 

26.1-33 

u 

190 

26.6- 1 1 

« 

.  •  •  . 

328 

26.10 

« 

.  81 

26.17 

194 

26.34—28.9 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

196 

26.34,35 

96, 
266 

201, 

27.1-40 

« 

196 

27.3 

(( 

194 

27.41—28.5 

« 

196 

28.5 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

41 

28.6-9 

" 

.  .  . 

197 

28.9 

« 

201 

28.  ID— 30.43 

l( 

197 

28.10-22 

" 

.  .  . 

197 

28.12 

(C 

66 

28.13—15 

u 

41 

28.14 

(( 

.  •  . 

149 

28.21 

(I 

267 

29.1-30 

« 

197 

29.4 

<( 

.  .  . 

151 

29.14 

" 

.  .  .  . 

68 

29.20 

u 

.  .  .  . 

41 

29.27 

(I 

194 

29-31— 3024 

" 

197 

30.8 

a 

no 

30.24 

t( 

268 

30.25-43 

(( 

197 

30.33 

(( 

.  .  .  . 

81 

30.35 

te 

194 

31. 1— 33.20 

" 

197 

31. 1— 32.2 

li 

197 

31.19 

(( 

194 

31.36 

(( 

■*8o 

,  81 

31.39 

" 

. . . . 

80 

32.3—33.20 

(t 

198 

32.3-21 

(t 

198 

32.12 

<( 

. . . . 

41 

32-22-32  (Sect.    9)  ..198,  267 

32.26,28  "  41 

32.30,31  "  ..81,  19s, 

250 

33-I-17  "  ....  198 

33.14  "  ....  267 
33.18-20  "  198 

33.19  "  ....  195 

34.1—35.29  ''  ....  198 

34. 1 -3 1  "  149,   198 

35.1-29  "  ....  198 

35.1-8  "  ....  198 

35.5  "  .110,  195 

35.9-15  "  ••41,  199 

35.16-20  "          199 

35.18  "  .195,  268 

35.2i-22a  "          199 

35.22b-26  "  .199,  254 

35.24  "  ....  195 
35.26  "  ....  195 

35.27-29  "          199 

35-27  "  ....  268 

35.29  "  ....  202 

36.1-8  (Sect.  10)  ..54,  201- 

202,  263 

36.2,3     "     201 

36.9—37.1  (Sect.  II)  ..54,203- 

206,  263 
36.10,14      "    202 

36.15  "     205 

36.31-39      "    33^   38,  44, 

48,  206 
37.2 — 50.26  (Sect.  12)  .54,207- 
256,  313 
37.2—38.30  "  ...  252 
37.2-36  "  ...  252 
37.2         "     ...  268 

37-3  "  •••  247 

37.9,10  "  ...  268 

37.22  "  ...  248 

37.25  "  •••  249 
37.26,27  "  ...  248 
37.28  "     ...  81, 

247,  249 
37.32  "  ...  249 
37-36  "     81,  249 

38.1-30  "  252,263 
38.1  "     ...  263 


INDEX  341 

38.9     (Sect.  12)  ...  250  "49.22     (Sect.  12)  ...   41 

38.21  "  ...  250  4931  "     •••  269 

38.26  "  ....  81  50.1-14  "     •••  255 

39.1—47.26  "  ...  253  50-15-26  "     ...  255 

39.1-20  ''  ...  253  50.15-21  ;;       ...  255 

39.1  "  ...  250  50.17  --So,  81 

39.9  "  ....  80  50.22-26  "       ...  255 

39.20  "  ...  250  50.22  "       ...  263 

39.21—40.23  "  ...  253 

40.1  "  80  EXODUS 

40.13  "  •••  250 

40.15  "  ...    248  2.10  ....    43 

40.19  "  •••  250  3.15  ;;  ••••  41 

40.20  "  150, 250  6.2,3  .  .33, 38 
41. 1-57  "  ...  253  1^.40,41  "  •••  270 
41 1  "  ...  269  14.19-22  '  —  41 
41.9  "  ....  80  28.6  "  .....  41 
41.43  "  ...  250  29.40  "  ..••  41 
41.46  "  ...  263  39.2  "  ....  41 
41.57  ;;  •...  67 

42.1—45.28  "  ...      253                                    NUMBERS 

42.1-38  "  ...      253 

42.21  "  ....      81  25.1-5  .•••      41 


42.22  "  80 

42  23  "  ...    249  Deuteronomy 

42'.38  ;;  ...    250 

43.1-44-34  '  •••     253      24.1-4  ^^  '■"    fr 

43.9  "  ....    80      27.17  ••••41 

44.16  "  .80,    81       34-I-I2  '  -33,    38, 

44.20  "  ...    248  43,    44 

44.32  "  ....    80 

45.1-28  "  ...    254  Joshua 

45-4,5  "  .  •  •     249 

45.6-11  "  ...     263      15.63  ••45,  50 

46.1_47.12  "  ...     254      19-47  •••     150 

46.1-7  "  ...    254 

46.8-27  "  ...    254  Judges 


47-^3-^^      .  "  •••  tit  2  Samuel 

47.27—50.26  ...  254 

47.27—48.22  "  ...  254      5.6-10  "  ....    45 

47-31  "  ...  251 

49-1-33  "  ...  255  I    Kings 

49.5  "  80 

49.10  "  ...  251      6.1  "  ...    270 


342 


INDEX 


2   Chronicles 


Matthew 


35.12 


Nehemiah 


42      19.3-8 


Mark 


46 


13.1 


Job 


42      10.2-9 


Luke 


47 


42.11 


195      2.36 


Psalms 


John 


36.6 

» 

.    no 

7.22 

tt 

80.10 

n 

.    no 

Hosea 

Acts. 

I.IO 

« 

..    41 

7.4 

« 

3-4 

<t 

..    41 

5.10 

11 

..    41 

Galatians 

9.4 

€t 

..    41 

9.10 

t(             ^  j 

..    41 

3.17 

(( 

11.8 

(( 

..    41 

12.3-5 

t( 

..    41 

Hebrews 

12.12,13 

(( 

..    41 

13.1S 

<( 

..    41 

11.21 

<( 

113 


47 


114 


47,    270 


...    251 


INDEX  OF  TOPICS 


[Use  also  the  Table  of  Contents,  the  cross-references,  and 
the  standard   Biblical  concordances.! 


Abel  87,  278 

Abraham  114,  126,  15 1-8,  264-5, 

2S0-1 
Adam,  82-9,  92-5,  277 
Adonai  292 
Allon-Bacuth    192 
altar  loi,  152.     Cf.  sacrifice 
Ammonites    155,  265,  266,  269 
analysis   of  Genesis,   53-4 
angels  197,  198,  200,  256,  309 
animal,   68,  93 
antediluvian    period    261-2 
anthropomorphism  335-6 
apparently     false     etymologies 

93,  iio-ii,  329 
application,   practical    17,   320-7 
Asher  177 
Assyrians   ill 
astronomy  332 
atonement  326-7 
Attah-El-Roi   125 
authority      and      subordination 

256,  273-5,  292 
autographs,  14,  19,  24 

Babel  iio-ii,  259,  294,  329.    Cf. 

Babylon 
Babylon    and    Babylonians    III, 

261,  272 
Beer-Lahai-Roi    125 
Beer-Sheba,   138,    150 
Benjamin   193,  268 
Bethel    197 
biographies,  277-86 
birthright    195-6.     Cf.    firstborn 
blessings,    the    patriarchal    196, 

254-5,  274 
blood    68,    105,    106,    307.     Cf. 

sacrifice 


brackets  62 
breath  67 

burnt-offering,    105, 
Cf.  sacrifice 


106,     307. 


Cain  87-9,  277-8 

Canaanites  104,  iii,  265 

Cherubim  86 

chronology     158,     199,     261-70, 

329.     Cf.  genealogies 
circumcision   154,  159,  296,  303- 

4.  Cf.  covenant 
civilization  88,  151-9,  270-7,  301 
claims  as  to  origin,  29,  2)2,  37, 

43 
clean     and     unclean     105,    107, 

301-2,  306-7 
culture  271-2 
commandments   318 
communion     106,     294,     308-9, 

327.     Cf.  Enoch 
compilation  of  Genesis    52-4 
confusion  of  tongues  331 
contents  of  Genesis   16,  69-71, 

82-9,    94-5,    104-6,    III,    114, 

15 1-8,   162,   195-9,   202,  205-6, 

252-5^ 
contradictions    329-30 
corruption  95,  96,  104,  159,  300, 

301.  324 
country  62 
covenant  106,  159,  200,  291,  294- 

5,  296,  298-305,  315-6,  325-6 
covenant,  the  new  84-6,  88-9 
covenant    with    Abraham     153, 

200 
covenant     with    man,     original 
72.     Cf.  original  state 


343 


344 


INDEX 


covenant    with    Noah    96,    104, 

105,  106 
covetonsness   301 
creation  69,  71,  291,  325 
criticism  27.     Cf.  textual   criti- 
cism,   genetic    criticism,    and 
interpretation 
Ciish  259 

Dan  177 

data  of  textual   criticism  28-9, 

32,  34-5,  40-1,  46 
day  71,  83 

death  85,  88,  301,  303 
Deborah  282 
degenerate  80 
delinquent  80 
deluge,   the    103,   104,    107,   260, 

331-2 
difficulties.     Cf.    objections 
discipline  256 

disobedience,  the  first  83.  297-8 
dispersion,  the  in,  262,  331 
documents   of  the    Pentateuch, 

supposed  30-2 
dreams  253,  256,  288-9 
drunkenness   105 

earth  66,  79,  82 

Eden  79.  83,  86,  258,  331 

Edom    164,  269 

Egypt  and  Egyptians,  in,  259, 

261,  272 
El  292 

El  Elyon  122,  292 
El  Shaddai  125 
election   96,    159,   200,   304-5 
El-Elohe-Israel    189 
Eliezer  282 

Elohim  292.  Cf.  God  (Elohim; 
Elyon  292 
Enoch  95,  278 
Esau  163,  195,  282-3 
ethics  of  Genesis.  318,  319,  336 
etymologies.        Cf.     apparently 

false  etymologies 
eunuch  250 
Eve  70,  83-7,  277 


evil  79 

evolution    71-2,     159-60,    291-2, 

325,  332-5. 
external   evidences   29 

failing,   failure  80 
faith   106,   153,  308 
falsehood    199,    200,    300-1,    319 
fellowship.     Cf.    communion 
firstborn  87,   195-6,  274 
flesh  68 

flock  81,  87,  150 
flood.     Cf.   deluge 
food  105,  106 

future  life  96,  309-11,  318.     Cf. 
Sheol 

Gad  177 
Galead  184 

genealogies  93,  94-5,  113 

genetic  criticism  15-6,  27-49 

geography  257-61 

goat  81 

God,  doctrine  of  72,  86,  96,  114- 

6,  256,  290-4,  313-4 
God    (Elohim)   S3>  68,   114-6 
good  79 
gospel,  the  first  303.     Cf.  seed 

of  the  woman 
grace,  divine  86,  293-4,  298,  298- 

9,  324-5 
ground  79,  83,   149,  250 
growth  in  character  309 
guilt.     Cf.    sin 

Hagar  282 

Ham   105,   106,  III,  278 
Hammurabi  269-70 
Haran  149 
Havilah  259 
heaven,  heavens  66 
Hebrew  22,  25 
heredity  295-6 
heroes  93 

Hexateuchs,   the  50 
higher    criticism    27-8 
historicity  12,  26,  49,  286,  ^2^- 
30 


INDEX 


345 


hospitality  276 
human  race  no 

ideas  as  evidence  about  origin, 

30,  33-4,  39,  46,  48 
idolatry   199,  250,  268,  277,  319 
incomparable  no 
inconsiderate    deed  81 
inconsistencies  328 
iniquity  80 
inspiration  49,  290 
internal    evidences   29 
interpretation    9,    14-7,    49,    55, 

12,  321 
Isaac  127,  156,  157,  282,  303 
Ishmael  125,  154,  162,  265,  266, 

282 
Israel  52,  187,  198,  200,  305 
Issachar,    178 
italics  62 

Jacob  163,  194,  195,  196-8,  254^ 

283-5 
Japheth   278 
Jegiir-Sahadutha  184 
Jehovah  ZZ,  7^,  79,  82,  87,  114- 

6,  292 
Tohovah-El-Olam    138 
Jesus  27,  36,  49 
Joseph  178,  247-50,  252-5,  285-6 
Judah   176,  254,  256,  285 
justice  256,  293 
justify  81 

kesitah    195 
Keturah  265,  266,  269 
kin  no 
kinds   67 

Laban   157,  194,  197-8,  285 
Lamech  278 
land  62,  79 
Leah  197,  285 
Levi  176,  268,  285 
1  evirate    273 
life    68 

linj^uistic  evidence  29,  32-3,  37- 
8,  43-4,  48 


literature  271-2 

living  67 

living  creature  67 

long  lives,  the  92-3,  272,  330 

Lot  151,  152,  155,  279 

Mahanaim   184 

man,   83-9,   90,   292,   293,   294-8, 

314-5.     Cf  original  state 
man's  dual  constitution  297 
mankind,  unity  of  294-6,  323-5 
manuscripts    14-5,   20,  22-4 
marriage    83,   89,   96,    151,    152, 

IS7-8,  273-4,  295,  300 
massora,  the  22-3 
Melchizedek   153,  281-2 
method  of  teaching  322-3 
migrations  260 
Milcah  278 

miracles  291-2,  330-1,  334 
Mispah  184,  198 
Moabites  155,  265,  266,  269 
monarchy  274-5 
Mountains  of  the  East  259 
murder  88,  275,  300 

Nahor  112,  117,  140,  143 

Naphtali  177 

Negroes  in 

Nimrod  278 

Nineveh    in,  259 

Noah  91,  93,  96,  104,  105,  278 

objections  17,  72,  89,  107,  328- 
36 

offenngs.  Cf.  sacrifice,  sin- 
offering,    and    burnt-offering 

opinion  as  to  origin  29,  2^,  35- 
6,  41-2,  46-7 

oracles  51-3,  69,  160,  195,  288, 
290 

organic  relations  of  Genesis, 
16,  50,  320-1 

origin  of  Genesis  46-8,  49,  69, 
82,  89,  93-4,  103.  107,  III, 
114,  150- 1,  161,  195,  202,  206, 

251,  319 
origmal  state  83,  297,  302 


346 


INDEX 


outrage  80 

panic  195 

pantheism  325-6.  Ci.  person- 
ality of  God 

parentage  83-4,  96,  106,  274, 
295-6,  300 

patriarchal  period  263-71 

Peniel  187,  195 

Pentateuch,  origin  of  the  30-46 

personality  of  God  291,  325 

Philistines  III,  265 

philosophy  in  Genesis  318-9, 
.  335-6 

pigeon  150 

polygamy  88,  157-8,  199,  273, 
276 

polytheism  40,  277,  291.  Cf. 
idolatry 

post-diluvian   period,    262-3 

prayer  309 

progress  of  doctrine  16-7,  39, 
312-9 

prophecy  and  prophets  20,  51, 
105,  256,  290,  293 

propitiation    307-8,   336 

prostitution    '^'77, 

quotations   22,    23 

Rachel  197,  285 
racial  mixture  255 
rainbow,  the  105 
Rebekah    157,   196,  282 
references,  historical  30,  33,  38- 

9,  44-6,  48 
Reuben  176,  255,  285 
revelation  9,  26,  49,  51,  287-90, 

293,  312-3 
right  80 
righteousness   309 

sabbath,  the  72,  306 

sacred   things,   306 

sacrifice   86,   87,    106,    153,    156, 

160,   198,  200,  306-7 
salvation  296 


Sarah    127,    15 1-2,    154,    155-6, 

157,  279 
science   in   Genesis   331-5 
seed  of  the  woman,  the  85,  296, 

305 
Septuagint,  the  21,  34 
Serpent,  the  84-6,  299-300,  309 
Seth  78,  278 

seven  156.     Cf.  the  Sabbath 
sex  296-7,  300 
sexual    impurity   319 
Shaddai   292 
sheep  81 

Shem   105,   III,  278,  303 
Sheol  250 
Shiloh  251 
shortcoming  80 
Simeon    176,   255,   268,   285 
sin     79-81,     85,     296,     299-302, 

325-6 
sin-offering  87,  106,  302,  307 
sky  62 
slavery  152,   199,  252,  276.    Cf. 

Canaan 
society  272-7 
Sodom  152-3 
Sohar,  the  250 
soul  67 
spirit  67 
structure   of   Genesis    16,   50  5, 

69,  82,  94,  104,  III,  114,  151, 

162,  igs,  251 
subordinates   150 
substitution  307 
Succoth   189 
symbolism  305-6 

teachings  of  Genesis  16,  71,  81- 
9,  95-6,   106-7,  287-311 

Terah    278 

teraphim    194 

test,  Genesis  as  a  320 

testimony  as  to  origin  29,  32, 
36-7,  43,  48 

text,  types  of  23 

textual  criticisra  14-5,  19-24, 
27,  201-2,  250,  251 

theme  of  Genesis,  the  52 


INDEX 


347 


theology.     Cf.    philosophy 
theophanies   i6o,  200,  256,  289, 

293 
tithe,  the  197 
town   149 
translation  15,  17,  20,  24-5,  59- 

62 
tree  of  discrimination  79,  84 
tree  of  life  86 

unity  of  Genesis   10,  14,   114-6, 

286 
unity  of  God  290-1 
upright  80-1 

variant  spellings  81,  195 
versions  20-1,  23,  59 
variants  IS,  2^ 


visions  288-9 
votaress  250 
Vulgate,  the  21 

wady   194 

war  275-6 

wealth  270-1 

wedding-week   194 

week  103 

wicked  81 

wind  67 

woman   295-7 

world  67,   no 

worship   87,    305-8,    316-8 

wrong  81 

Zebulon  178 


Date  Due 


iTp     T 


